Death Toll In Central China Flooding Nears 60

While drought persists in the southwest, heavy rains are proving deadly in Henan, Shaanxi and Sichuan. Officials at the Ministry of Civil Affairs say that 57 people have been killed and a further 29 are missing as a result of torrential rain-triggered flooding and landslides in the three provinces since the beginning of the month. More than 12 million people have been affected, with more than 1.2 million having to be evacuated. In recent days the rains have raised the levels of the Han, Wei and Jialingjiang rivers, leading to floods in 14 rivers and tributaries of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers. Water levels at the Three Gorges Reservoir swelled to above 160 meters on the evening of Sept. 19, 16 meters higher than the alert level. Emergency relief teams have been sent to all three provinces where direct economic losses are put at upwards of 17 billion yuan ($2.7 billion) so far.