China floods death toll passes 100

BEIJING, China (2ND UPDATE) – Devastating floods at opposite ends of China have left 105 people dead and another 115 missing in recent days, state media said Monday.

Flooding in the northeast which left 72 people dead was described as “the worst in decades” by state news agency Xinhua, while another 33 people died in the south as a result of the weather, it said citing the ministry of civil affairs.

Liaoning, the worst-hit province, had 54 fatalities and another 97 people missing, Xinhua said.

President Xi Jingping “has demanded all-out efforts in putting people’s lives first”, the agency added.

The worst-hit province in the south, battered by Typhoon Utor last week, was Guangdong where 22 people were dead and eight missing, it added.

Transport links were severely crippled, affecting tens of thousands of travellers.

Some services from Guangzhou railway station, Guangdong’s most important transport hub, were suspended due to rain and landslides.

State media said 80,000 passengers were stranded over the weekend because of the disruption.

Services were beginning to return to normal from Monday, the station said in a statement on its website.

More than 2,800 soldiers have been drafted in to help with the relief efforts, Xinhua reported earlier. – Rappler.com