BEIJING: At least eight people have died in a flash flood in northern China, state media reported on Sunday, with four others still missing, as the East Asian monsoon continues to unleash atmospheric chaos across the world’s second-largest economy.
The banks of a river running through the grasslands of Inner Mongolia burst at around 10 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Saturday, the report said, washing away 13 campers on the outskirts of Bayannur city, a major agricultural hub. One person has been rescued.
China has suffered weeks of extreme weather since July, battered by heavier-than-usual downpours with the monsoon stalling over its north and south.
Weather experts link the shifting pattern to climate change, testing officials as flash floods displace thousands and threaten billions of dollars in economic losses.
Bayannur is an important national grain and oil production base, as well as a sheep breeding and processing center.
At the other end of the country, a three-and-a-half-month fishing suspension in the southern province of Hainan ended on Saturday, state media reported, after agricultural affairs officials ordered ships to shelter in port owing to persistent, heavy rain.
The deluge in Inner Mongolia follows a deadly downpour in Beijing – just under 1,000km away – late last month which killed at least 44 people and forced the evacuation of more than 70,000 residents.
The central government announced last week 430 million yuan ($59.9 million) in fresh funding for disaster relief, taking the total allocated since April to at least 5.8 billion yuan.
Northern China flash flood kills 8
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Northern China flash flood kills 8
- The banks of a river running through the grasslands of Inner Mongolia burst at around 10 p.m. on Saturday
- China has suffered weeks of extreme weather since July, battered by heavier-than-usual downpours
Fire kills 12 in south China residential building: state media
BEIJING: A fire that broke out in a residential building in southern China killed 12 people, state media reported Wednesday.
The blaze at the four-story building in Shantou, Guangdong province, erupted around 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday, and was extinguished just after 10:00 pm, the local fire department said in a statement.
It comes after a huge blaze last month engulfed several high-rise residential towers in Hong Kong, neighboring Guangdong, killing 160 people.
“The building on fire was a four-story self-built reinforced concrete structure,” the Chaonan District Fire and Rescue Team said, adding that the blaze had affected an area of 150 square meters (1,600 square feet).
“Investigations into the cause of the fire and aftermath handling work are being conducted in an orderly manner,” it said.
Initial reports on Wednesday morning had said eight were killed, with four injured taken to hospital.
State media outlet Xinhua later said a total of 12 people had been killed.
The deaths come after China launched a campaign against fire hazards in high-rise buildings following the Hong Kong blaze last month.
