Heavy storms wreak havoc in China

Torrential rain has ravaged southern China since July 11, leaving 30 dead and another four missing, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Tuesday.

A student walks in a flooded classroom at Kaikou Middle School in Duyun, Guizhou province, on Tuesday.[Photo/Xinhua]

A rescuer helps a resident trapped by floods in Tongren, Guizhou province, on Tuesday. Ke Youchuan / for China Daily

Natural disasters - strong winds, hail, floods, landslides and mudslides - caused by the downpours have affected about 7.4 million people in 233 counties in Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces and Chongqing municipality and forced the evacuation of about 431,000 people, the ministry said in a statement.

Rainstorms caused 12,000 houses to collapse, damaged 64,000 others and flooded 478,500 hectares of cropland, causing direct economic losses of 3.82 billion yuan ($599 million).

National disaster relief and civil affairs authorities set emergency response measures in motion and sent two teams to the worst-affected provinces, Hubei and Guizhou, to direct the relief work.

The latest storms, which began on July 11, have affected nearly 1.7 million residents in 54 counties and left 13 dead and three missing in Guizhou province by 11 am on Tuesday, according to the ministry.

Local disaster relief and civil affairs authorities have allocated 17 million yuan in emergency relief funding, and sent 1,250 tents and 56,500 items of clothing, as well as instant noodles and bottled water to the flood-ravaged regions.

Xinhua