Monsoon rains continue causing floods and landslides in southern China, over 3 million affected
Heavy rainfalls which started affecting southern China on June 9, 2016, have continued over the last couple of days bringing severe floods and landslides to the region. 15 people are reported dead and 10 others missing, as of June 16, while 2.3 million people need emergency assistance, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Severe weather conditions, caused by the annual monsoon rains, were reported across the provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan, affecting more than 3 million people, in total. Over 8 000 homes have been completely destroyed and 65 000 suffered some degree of damage. More than 16 000 people have been forced to evacuate.
72-hr rainfall accumulation as observed by the GPM Core Observatory. Image credit: NASA/JAXA GPM, Google
According to the MCA, some areas recorded 290 mm (11.4 inches) of rainfall in a 24 hour period and between 70 and 100 mm (2.7 and 3.9 inches) in only one hour. 105 mm (4.1 inches) was reported in Lishui in a 24 hour period between June 15 and 16. At the same time, Qu xian measured 95 mm (3.7 inches), Guilin 96 mm (3.8 inches), Lu shan 114.8 mm (4.5 inches), Nanchang 80.4 mm (3.2 inches) while Yichun reported 112.2 mm (4.4 inches) of precipitation.
In Jiangxi, one person drowned and another 2 died after a house collapsed. Four fatalities were reported in Hunan, with a further 4 missing. In Guangdong, two victims were struck by lightning. One person died and 2 are missing after a house collapsed as a result of heavy rain in Guangxi. In Guizhou, four people died in flood water, another victim died in a landslide, where a further 4 are still missing, FloodList reported.
Video credit: CCTV News
Watch an entire building collapse in southern #China after #flooding hits #Rongxian cou… (Vine by @BBCWorld) https://t.co/6odPq9B2wr
— Mathew Blanchfield (@MDBlanchfield) June 16, 2016
Thousands of hectares of agricultural land suffered damage, inflicting a direct economic loss estimated at 2.4 billion yuan.
The heavy rainfalls from the monsoon front are expected to continue moving north and cause the Yangtse River to swell.
Featured image credit: CCTV News
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