Death toll in SW China landslide rises to 22
3/11/2008 16:23
Landslides and mud-rock flows had left at least 22 dead and 45 missing in
southwest China's Yunnan Province, local authorities said today.
More than
411,000 people in 13 counties of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture and
provincial capital Kunming were affected by disasters triggered by torrential
rains over the last two days, according to the provincial civil affairs
department.
A department official said they usually calculated casualties and
damage based on reports from the grass-roots authorities, and it was still too
early to ascertain the exact number of all major and minor landslides in
different regions.
Initial investigations showed that more than 1,000 homes
collapsed and some 2,300 others were damaged in the disaster.
More than
10,600 hectares of cropland, power supply, telecommunication and transportation
were also affected.
More than 25,000 people in Chuxiong had been evacuated to
safe places and five disaster relief teams were trying to help the affected
people, said Fa Yubin, deputy head of disaster relief in the region.
The
government of Chuxiong has allocated 1.5 million yuan (US$220,000) to the relief
work. Rice, tents, clothes and quilts were being transported to the worst-hit
areas.
About 150 soldiers were searching for those missing.
Weather
forecast indicted that heavy rains could continue in the affected areas in the
next day or two, hampering relief efforts.
Xinhua
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