|
ˇ@
Thousands flee floods in China, N Korea
NO LET UP: The Chinese meteorological centerˇ¦s forecast warns of another 24
hours of downpours in Liaoning Province, which might add to the diluvial
destruction
AFP , BEIJING
Monday, Aug 23, 2010, Page 5
A man stands on a heavily flooded street as a
public bus drives by, in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, on Saturday.
PHOTO: EPA
More than 120,000 people have been evacuated in northeast China following
serious floods that have already left four dead and forced the relocation of
thousands in neighboring North Korea.
Heavy summer downpours have dangerously swollen the Yalu river, which forms the
border between the two countries, and forecasters are warning of yet more
torrential rain to come.
Chinaˇ¦s civil affairs ministry said late on Saturday that 127,000 people had
been evacuated in Liaoning Province in just three days because of the rains, as
the nation struggles with its worst floods in a decade.
In Dandong city alone, which borders North Korea, more than 94,000 residents
were evacuated and some power and transport links were cut off, Xinhua news
agency reported.
A couple in their 70s and a mother and son died in Kuandian county, around 100km
northeast of Dandong, when flash floods swept away their homes, Xinhua said,
citing a local flood control official.
A 60-year-old man was also missing in Kuandian after his house collapsed in a
rain-triggered landslide.
The state-run Beijing Times reported that the floods in Dandong are the second
most serious since 1949. Photos showed people being airlifted from damaged
rooftops by helicopters as grey water swirled around buildings.
Chinaˇ¦s national meteorological center warned yesterday that new downpours were
expected in parts of Liaoning, including Dandong, for another 24 hours at least.
In North Korea, more than 5,000 people have been moved to safety after parts of
Sinuiju city and rural communities near the border were ˇ§completely inundated,ˇ¨
the official Korean Central news agency said.
Traffic in downtown Sinuiju was ˇ§paralyzedˇ¨ and flood victims were stranded on
rooftops and on hills, prompting North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il to order an
emergency military rescue operation, it added.
North Korea has been hit by widespread flooding this summer, which has washed
away homes, roads, railways and farmland, causing an unspecified number of
deaths, state media reports from Pyongyang showed.
After decades of deforestation, North Korea is particularly vulnerable to
flooding. In 2007, it reported at least 600 people dead or missing from
devastating floods.
Nearly 3,900 Chinese have been killed or left missing this year in flood-related
incidents, official figures show.
In Yunnan Province, rescuers are searching for 69 people who went missing in
rain-triggered mudslides in a remote, mountainous area. Twenty-three people have
been confirmed dead, Xinhua said.
ˇ@
|
