Floods which killed at least 76 people across southern China and destroyed homes and crops have thrown the lives of hundreds of thousands of villagers into turmoil, and more heavy rains are forecast in the coming days.
Torrential downpours, mudslides and floods hit the provinces of Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Jiangxi and Fujian since the weekend, prompting evacuation of 788,000 people, the Civil Affairs Ministry said.
Livestock were left to drown as people fled their homes, power lines were toppled and roads made unpassable. By yesterday, flooding and mudslides had caused direct economic damage of about 4.7 billion yuan ($615 million), with 69,000 homes and 1,360 square km of crops destroyed, the ministry said.
In the worst hit area of northeastern Guangdong, paramilitary troops and other rescuers used speedboats to deliver urgent supplies to 24 villages in Huangjin township which had been submerged by mountain torrents and the overflowing Hanjiang River, a local official said.
"We are distributing instant noodles, rice and medicine," the official, surnamed Liu, said. It was only drizzling today but a dozen villages were still under water and roads were cut, he said.
Rescuers were disinfecting areas where water had retreated to avert epidemic. Authorities in Meizhou municipality, which includes Huangjin, were rushing to repair dykes along the Hanjiang ahead of heavy rains forecast for the rest of the week, Xinhua news agency said.
Floodwaters had reached the second floors of homes in Huangjin last Friday, forcing many to flee leaving valuables, poultry and livestock to be destroyed, Liu said.