Heavy floods, landslides kill at least nine

THE south reeled from heavy rains that triggered landslides that killed at least nine people, knocking out power for entire villages and burying crops.

Meanwhile, northern parts of the country are battling drought as the country faces two extremes of severe weather.

Four people were killed and two others are missing in Wuping county in the province of Fujian due to landslides caused by torrential rain that began on Sunday, with authorities measuring 37.2cm of rainfall over a 24-hour period.

At least 378 houses collapsed in the county, and 880ha of crops were damaged, amounting to economic losses of at least 415 million yuan (RM270mil) in Wuping, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

In the southern Guangdong province, bordering Hong Kong, landslides triggered by severe flooding killed at least five people in the city of Meizhou.

Three helicopters and more than 200 teams of rescuers have been searching for survivors and delivering aid to the affected areas.

More than 11,000 people were moved after the Hanjiang River in south China’s Pearl River basin flooded, drowning crop fields and inundating homes. — AP