June 10, 2007
1906 gmt
East Asia Satellite
The USA policies on many things have become unconscionable, but, to put human life second to economic wealth is far more than tragic, it's criminal.
TORRENTIAL rainstorms that have drenched southern China for days have killed at least 66 people, injured dozens and left 12 missing, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said last night.The resulting flooding has destroyed 48,000 homes, damaged 94,000 structures and forced 591,000 people to evacuate, a ministry official said.The flooding also destroyed 53,000 hectares of cropland, he said.From Wednesday to Saturday, continuous torrential rainstorms, mudslides and floods hit Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces, causing 2.9 billion yuan (US$371 million) in economic losses.Reports from the individual provinces were fragmentary and did not reflect the ministry totals.In Guangdong Province, at least 18 people were killed, four are missing, 28 were injured and more than 20,000 were displaced by floods and landslides, officials there reported on Saturday.The bad weather knocked down 3,100 houses and damaged 26,000 hectares of cropland and caused 500 million yuan in economic losses.In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 13 people were killed in the downpours, one is missing and 3,751 houses and 89,800 hectares of crops were destroyed in 31 counties.The flooding also killed 500 farm animals, suspended operations at 87 factories and coal mines, damaged 36 reservoirs and 477 dams and caused 651 million yuan in economic losses.The storms had subsided by yesterday, but the water levels in major rivers will keep rising for the next few days, according to the region's meteorological bureau.In Guizhou Province, at least seven people were killed, four are missing and economic losses totaled 117 million yuan.In Hunan Province, the storms killed at least three people, one is missing and 158,000 are homeless.Jingzhou County in the city of Huaihua, one of the worst hit areas, received 146.4 millimeters of rainfall on Friday and Saturday.The entire province is on alert as the upper reaches of the Xiangjiang River have risen to 4.6 meters above the warning level - the highest in 20 years."We have stepped up our guard against flooding as two more heavy rainstorms are forecast over the next four days," said Xie Kangsheng, an official with the Hunan Provincial People's Congress. He said reservoirs on the upper reaches of the river would have to discharge more water as the situation deteriorates.Sichuan Province reported seven deaths and nine injuries on Friday in the Liangshan Autonomous Prefecture of the Yi nationality after continuous rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday brought hailstorms, lightning strikes and landslides.One person was reported dead in Jiangxi Province.Meanwhile, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, hailstorms, rainstorms and floods slammed into six towns on Thursday, washing away one farmer near a canal.
