Floods endanger rare tree as NE China deluged

Hundreds of thousands of rare Korean pine trees grown in Northeast China are at risk due to rising flood water triggered by continuous heavy rain since August 15.

More than 8,000 Korean pines have been ripped away by the floods in the northwestern foot of the Changbai Mountain in Jilin province, according to the local forestry bureau.

With one million Korean pines grown in a land of 12,000 hectares, the Korean pine forest is the only one of its kinds in Asia.

Besides the precious trees, up to three million seedlings and more than 80,000 trees have also been damaged by the floods, resulting in a direct economic loss of 30 million yuan.

Strong precipitation kept battering the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning in northeastern China. In Jilin alone, nearly 760,000 people in 211 townships have been affected by the rain which also toppled 1,633 houses, leaving 14 dead and 7 missing as of Sunday.