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14 dead, 35 missing in SW.China floods
June-7-2011

Rain-triggered floods have caused 14 deaths and left 35 people missing in a southwest China county, the local government said Tuesday.

Floodwater rushes through the Wangmo county, Southwest China's Guizhou province, June 6, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

Floodwater rushes through the Wangmo county, Southwest China's Guizhou province, June 6, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua] 


As of 8 a.m., the floods have forced at least 45,000 residents in Wangmo County of Guizhou Province to evacuate, and 3,000 others remained stranded, the county's flood control and drought relief office said in a press release.

Flood waters inundated the county seat on Monday, disrupting power and water supplies and telecommunication services in several towns, it said.

The floods damaged 5,500 hectares of cropland, washed away more than 500 vehicles, toppled 100 homes and destroyed roads and bridges, the document said.

The local government has mobilized more than 330 soldiers and policemen to clean up roads hoping to restore traffic for students rushing to the national college entrance exam that opens Tuesday.

Rain-triggered floods have so far hit 11 cities and counties across Guizhou Province, affecting at least 270,000 people, the provincial civil affairs bureau said.

The local weather bureau said the first round of continuous downpours began on June 3.

As of Monday, precipitation topped 100 mm in 16 counties. Another 31 counties received 55 to 100 mm of rainfall, it said.

The weather bureau has forecast rain in most parts of the province Tuesday, with downpours in three southern prefectures.

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