World News | South China Floods Force Tens of Thousands to Evacuate
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Major flooding has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in southern China, with more rain expected.
Beijing, Jun 22 (AP) Major flooding has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in southern China, with more rain expected.
The manufacturing hub of Guangdong suspended classes, office work and public transport amid rising waters and the threat of landslides.
Also Read | US Values Bilateral Ties with India; It is ‘Key Strategic’ Partner in Indo-Pacific: White House.
In the neighboring province of Jiangxi, almost 500,000 people have seen damage to their homes and their lives uprooted.
Roughly the same number have been affected in Guangdong, largely in the cities of Shaoguan, Heyuan and Meizhou.
Also Read | Earthquake of Magnitude 6.1 Hits Afghanistan, Pakistan, No Damage Reported.
The heavy rainfall has collapsed roads in some parts of cities and swept away houses, cars and crops, and more rain is forecasted for coming days. Chinese authorities on Sunday issued the year's first red alert, the most severe warning, for possible mountain torrents.
In Zhejiang province a little further north, rescue crews in inflatable boats brought out residents trapped in their homes in inundated villages.
China regularly experiences flooding during the summer months, most frequently in central and southern areas that tend to receive the most rainfall. This year's flooding is the worst in decades in some areas and comes on top of strict COVID-19 regulations that have strangled travel, employment and ordinary life in much of the country.
China's worst floods in recent years were in 1998, when more than 2,000 people died and almost 3 million homes were destroyed, mostly along the Yangtze, China's mightiest river.
The government has invested heavily in flood control and hydroelectric projects such as the massive Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze.
Globally, more intense tropical storms are on the rise as a result of climate change, leading to increased flooding that threatens lives, crops and groundwater. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)