Floods following continuous rainstorms claimed 64 lives in the
past two weeks in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the
provincial government announced on Monday.?
An investigation by the provincial government showed the floods
damaged over 130,000 hectares of crops, causing economic losses of
5.93 billion yuan (US$717 million).
Fifty-nine people were missing in the floods, according to the
provincial government.
Recent rainstorms caused serious floods and mud and rock slides
in the central and southern parts of Shaanxi Province.
The Weihe River, the biggest tributary of the Yellow River, the
second longest river in China, reported the most serious flood
since 1981. Floodwater breached the embankment of the river,
inundating vast areas of farmland and making over 200,000 locals
homeless.
People in disaster areas have begun rebuilding their homes and
resumed production as the floods recede. The provincial government
has allocated more than 50 million yuan (US$6.04 million) in relief
funds to help flood victims.
(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2003)
