Heavy Rain in China Kills 94 People

According to Xinhua news, China‘s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters says 94 people have been killed after heavy rain fell on 13 provinces in southern China, with another 78 are missing in floods, while 8.5 million have been affected.

Economic losses amount to more than one billion dollars. The Headquarters says Hunan and Hubei provinces are the worst hit. A rescue team is heading to Hunan and Jiang-xi province to direct flood relief efforts. The All China Federation of Trade Unions has paid out to help affected areas.

An official probe said the drought had made the ground drier than usual, allowing the heavy rains to sweep away sand and rocks, resulting in the landslide that roared down a mountain slope above Guanshan village.

The heavy rain, coupled with recent droughts and inflation for the yuan, have brought speculation that food prices may soon double over the coming months. However, with the increase of American food production, Bloomberg analysts say that widespread starvation is far from a major issue.

(아주경제 앤드류 이 기자)

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com