Floods unleashed by torrential rains have left at least 177
people dead and 50 others missing in southwest China's Sichuan
Province and Chongqing
Municipality.
The Sichuan provincial disaster relief office confirmed 102
people dead and 25 missing by 9:30 PM Wednesday.
In Chongqing, the disaster relief office confirmed that the
death toll jumped to 75, 25 others missing and 2,513 injured by
10:30 AM Wednesday, the China News Service reported.
Most of the deaths were caused by landslides, mud-and-rock flow
and flash floods sweeping through mountain valleys. The casualty
information has been delayed because communication facilities were
severely damaged in the mountainous areas, according to local flood
control offices.
The five-day violent downpour has also affected 11.3 million
local residents, flooded 412,000-hectare crop. The direct economic
losses are estimated to exceed 3.9 billion yuan (US$470
million).
"This is the most severe natural disaster that struck the
country after typhoon Rananim, which killed at least 164 in eastern
Zhejiang Province in mid-August," said Zhang Zhitong, deputy
director of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief
Headquarters.
The shower over the past two days posed great challenge for
rescue work, especially in the mountainous areas, which were
frequently hit by landslides and where the roads to the outside
world were mostly destroyed. For example, In Dazhou City of
Sichuan, more than 6,000 people were still stranded in their
flood-besieged houses.
Facing this catastrophe, which "is not likely to happen in a
century", the governments of Sichuan and Chongqing have been
working all out to minimize the losses, promising "to provide all
the victims with adequate food, drink and accommodation".
Chinese central government allocated 40 million yuan (US$4.82
million) for emergency funds on Monday to Chongqing and Sichuan.
And the Chongqing municipal government also raised 12 million yuan
(US$1.45 million) for sheltering local residents and restoring
transportation and telecommunication facilities.
On Tuesday afternoon, a work team comprising officials from the
State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and ministries
of civil affairs, finance and land and resources arrived in Dazhou
to guide the rescue work.
The city so far has raised 15 million yuan (US$1.81 million) to
"rebuild homes", but one local government official said that "we
still need more financial support".
More than 5,000 armed police have taken part in the rescue work
and Zhang Jun, a 19-year-old armed police, drowned when helping
several villagers evacuate from their flood-besieged houses in
Chongqing.
In the county seat of Kaixian, the floodwater has almost receded
and more than 200 medical workers started a three-day disinfection
for the flooded areas Tuesday. Local health department has also set
up 18 stations across the county to monitor any possible outbreak
of epidemic diseases.
In addition, the county established six medical service stations
to provide free treatment and medicine to local residents.
After three-day efforts, nearly all the flood-stricken areas in
Kaixian had resumed electricity supply. Local residents are busy
cleaning their houses and the trash left in the streets. Some
stores and free markets of agricultural products also opened.
Vehicles of publicity circuited the county, asking the residents to
pay attention to the safety use of home appliances.
Local insurance companies have started to compensate for the
losses of the insured and "those private business runners who have
not bought property insurance, can enjoy a series of preferential
policies, including tax reduction or exemption," said Cheng
Yuanhui, the acting chief of Kaixian County.
According to local meteorological administration, moderate rain
will continue in most areas of Chongqing and some areas will see
torrential rain.
"We must not be off guard," said Wang Hongju, mayor of
Chongqing.
(Xinhua News Agency September 9, 2004)
