Rainstorms Leave 14 People Dead in GuangdongA series of rainstorms in south China's Guangdong Province since June 2 have left 14 people dead and caused direct economic losses of 534 million yuan (about 64 million US dollars).Sources from the provincial headquarters for flood, drought and wind control said 1.45 million people in the province have been affected by the torrential rains, along with the cave-in of more than 5,000 houses, inundation of 470,000 hectares of cropland, closure of over 200 enterprises, and destruction of a great number of highways, telecom and water conservancy facilities. According to the sources, the worst hit area is Yangjiang City in western Guangdong, where the rainfall from late at night on June 7 through the evening of June 8 amounted to 650 mm, a record high. The torrential rains in Yangjiang left three residents dead, another 789,000 people affected, including 250,000 people being besieged by flood waters, of whom, 235,000 people have already been evacuated. The direct economic losses in that city are estimated at 256 million yuan (about 30.8 million US dollars). Yunfu City, also in western Guangdong, is also seriously affected by the rainstorms. Landslides and floods in mountainous areas have left five people dead and nine people missing, with the direct economic losses placed at 120 million yuan (14.5 million US dollars). Another person from Maoming City was also killed by landslides in the wake of mountain floods, said local sources. Li Changchun, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and also Secretary of CPC's Guangdong Provincial Committee, Saturday made an inspection tour of Yangjiang and told local officials to help local residents rebuild homes and resume production, and try hard to reduce the losses to the least degree. Guangdong Province, especially the Pearl River Delta, is the largest beneficiary of the country's reform and open-up drive and has now become an economic powerhouse in the country. |
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