GUANGXI ZHUANG, China (CCTV) — Rain-triggered floods have killed 16 people and left 10 missing in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said Monday.
Heavy rain started to pound parts of Guangxi on Saturday, forcing the relocation of 91,600 residents as of 14:30 Monday, according to the regional civil affairs department.
The disaster wreaked havoc on the lives of 1.05 million people, inflicting direct economic losses worth nearly 2.9 billion yuan (428 million United States dollars).
More than 600 family homes collapsed in the rain, and 6,500 were damaged.
On Sunday, China’s flood control authority said that water levels in more than 60 rivers in southern China were a major concern due to sustained rainfall in recent days.
The National Meteorological Center forecast that rainstorms will hit Guangxi and Hunan from Sunday night to Monday night with total precipitation reaching up to 110 millimeters.
China issued a grade-4 emergency response on Monday for rain and floods in Guangxi.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction have sent teams to assist relief work on the scene.
A grade-4 response, the lowest in China’s emergency response system, requires a 24-hour alerts, daily damage reports, as well as funds and relief delivered within 48 hours.
Guangxi disaster response and civil affairs authorities have delivered relief supplies and a fund of 3.6 million yuan to affected areas.
