China floods, massive destruction and the flight of thousands of people

[XZoro]

 

Floods caused by heavy rains and thunderstorms in China have destroyed bridges, closed roads and railways and forced thousands of people to leave their homes, state media reported Saturday.
The National Meteorological Center said more rain was expected across the country, with the possibility of floods and landslides in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Heavy rain and flooding hit many parts of China at this time of year and often led to hundreds of deaths, but the number of victims this year was relatively small, after the deaths of 15 people.

The meteorological center said rainfall could exceed 80 mm per hour in some areas, Saturday.

The center also warned of flooding in the northeast and called on the authorities to stop outdoor activities and beware of collapsing buildings.

The Yangtze River, which stretches from southwest China's Yunnan Province to the Jiangsu and Shanghai provinces on the east coast, has led to flooding and many water levels in the Three Gorges dam have reached record levels.

Floods in the province caused 2.4 billion yuan ($ 358.74 million) in damages by Thursday, the emergency management ministry said.

The Xinhua news agency reported Friday that more than 10 major roads in the Sichuan province could not be reached due to flooding and a bridge on the Min River in Sichuan, one of the Angsti factions, collapsed.

More than 80,000 residents of the nearby city of Chongqing were evacuated by Friday, Xinhua said.