One hundred and eighty-eight people have now been confirmed dead from the
rainstorms and flooding across China triggered by the severe tropical storm
Bilis.
A woman stands amid wrekages
after Typhoon Bilis sweeps across Ping He county, east China's Fujian province
July 16, 2006. Rainstorms and winds unleashed by Bilis whip Fujian province
Sunday, leaving 43 dead and 24 others missing. The direct ecnomic losses hit 3
billion yuan (US$375 million). A total of 154 are killed around south east
China, according to state press. [Newsphoto]
The death toll in the southern province of Guangdong rose to 44
while the economic losses in the coastal province stood at about 6 billion yuan
(750 million U.S. dollars), the provincial flood control headquarters said on
Monday afternoon.
Hunan Province is the worst-hit province as 92 people have been confirmed
dead and more than 100 are missing. Floods and rainstorms set off by Bilis that
landed in China on Friday also claimed 43 lives in Fujian Province and nine in
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
In Guangdong, 1.32 million people have been affected and 4,744 houses were
destroyed by the deadly storm.
Water levels at eight large reservoirs have exceeded the flood-control limit
with six others approaching the limit.
Train services partly resumed on the Beijing-Guangzhou railway line on
Monday, nearly two days after floods cut the trunk route.
More than 8,800 passengers have been evacuated after they were stranded along
the flooded Beijing-Guangzhou railway line for about 40 hours. The water level
had risen to over one meter above the track.
A man watch his land
submerged in floods caused by Typhoon Bilis in Ping He county, east China's
Fujian province July 16, 2006. Rainstorms and winds unleashed by Bilis whip
Fujian province Sunday, leaving 43 dead and 24 others missing. The directe
ecnomic losses hit 3 billion yuan (US$375 million). A total of 154 are killed
around south east China, according to state press. [Newsphoto]
Food and water have been provided to the passengers and more than 10,000
workers have been mobilized to repair the track.
However, it will take another two or three days for service to resume
southward to Guangdong.
The flooding has also affected some 100 trains in Hubei Province, with four
trains suspended.
Local meteorological departments said heavy rains or rainstorms would
continue in Guangdong for the next couple of days.
In Fujian, 3 million people had been affected by flooding, 19,100 houses were
destroyed and 519,000 people had been evacuated by 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Rainstorms and floods spilt 144,680 hectares of crops and forced 1,865
industrial and mining enterprises to suspend production, resulting in losses of
3 billion yuan (375 million U.S. dollars).
The Fujian provincial government has appropriated 4.3 million yuan (537,500
U.S. dollars) for disaster relief and delivered 2,000 quilts, 6,000 boxes of
instant noodles and 12,000 tents to victims.
Guangxi disaster relief officials said on Monday 1.14 million people were
affected by Bilis which has also caused 300 million yuan (37.5 million U.S.
dollars) worth of economic losses.
A total of 224 reservoirs in Guangxi were forced to discharge floodwater.
More than 30,000 people stranded by floods had been evacuated by Monday.
The storm triggered heavy rainfall and serious floods in Zhejiang, Fujian,
Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong and Guangxi from July 14. More than 1.7 million
residents have been evacuated by 9:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Ministry of
Civil Affairs.
Reports of casualties from Zhejiang and Jiangxi are not available now.
A joint work group representing the ministries of civil affairs, finance and
several other government departments have rushed to the disaster-hit zones to
aid and direct relief operations.
