Yangtze River Floods Claim 240 Lives
Flooding caused by heavy rainfall in the Yangtze River Valley since late June has killed 240 people to date (July 6) and threatened the lives of well 60 million local residents, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Flooding has adversely affected 3.5 million ha and totally destroyed crops on 660,000 hectares. Houses totaling some 480,000 rooms have been destroyed and an additional 1.67 million units have sustained heavy damage, according to ministry press release
"Direct economic losses stand at 28.14 billion yuan (3.39 billion US dollars)," according to the release. The ministry noted that Anhui, Zhejiang, Hubei and Jiangxi provinces have sustained the heaviest damage.
The government has initiated a number of emergency relief programs and has evacuated some 1.84 million people from affected areas.
The ministry has distributed 5,000 tents and dispatched a number of flood relief teams to stricken areas.
A spokesman said the ministry will closely monitor the situation in order to ensure social stability. (Xinhua)
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