Chinese servicemen from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the People's Armed Police Forces (PAPF) have been actively engaged in rescue missions in the nation's fights against floods, landslides and forest fires, saving more than 500,000 lives since May.

Since mid-May, floods and flood-induced calamities have caused significant losses in China's south. The PLA and PAPF have deployed a total of 24,000 soldiers in active service, 120,000 reservists and over 3,800 vehicles to flood-hit regions.

More than 500,000 civilians have been evacuated from flooded regions with the help of the armed forces.

When Wuzhou, in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, suffered from a flood, more than 4,700 soldiers from PLA and PAPF were dispatched there to help reinforce dikes to avoid overflow. The Air Force also sent three helicopters, two transport aircraft and five planes to airdrop food.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs said last Friday that so far this year, floods and ensuing calamities have caused 567 deaths, left 165 people missing and forced the emergency relocation of 2.46 million people, resulting in direct economic losses of 22.9 billion yuan (about US$2.77 billion).
 
(Xinhua News Agency June 28, 2005)