Torrential rains have killed five people and affected
approximately 1.27 million people in northeast China's Jilin
Province, causing direct economic losses estimated at 2.24
billion yuan (US$271 million), according to the provincial flood
control headquarters on Thursday.
Of the five who died, four were students from a village school
in the city of Yushu. They were on their way home from school when
the floods
hit at around 4:00 PM on June 30.
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Statistics from Jilin Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief
Headquarters show that heavy rain affected 252 towns from 38
counties of the province, flattening 5,287 houses, destroying about
354,900 hectares of crops, and killing 859 domestic animals.
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About 192.6 km of road and 11 km of railway were also affected.
Telecommunication and electricity transmission were disrupted in
some parts of the province.
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44 small reservoirs were damaged and 82 dykes destroyed.
Direct economic losses are estimated at 293 million yuan (US$35
million) in industrial transportation and 347 million yuan (42
million) in water conservancy devices, according to the
headquarters.
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By 8:00 AM Wednesday, the average rainfall in Jilin Province
reached 203.3 millimeters, up 67 percent from the average.
In related news, three-day long torrential rains have left nine
people dead and six others missing, in northwest China's Shaanxi
Province, the provincial civil affairs department said on
Thursday. The disasters toppled more than 35,000 houses and damaged
349,900 hectares of farmland, affecting more than 300,000 people in
40 townships of 12 counties.
(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2005)