Beijing: The death toll from heavy rainfall in Shimen County, central China’s Hunan Province, rose to seven, with 14 others still missing, local authorities said.
Among the missing, five were added following further investigation, according to the county’s emergency management and production safety committee. Search and rescue operations are underway, reports Xinhua news agency.
The severe downpour started at 7 a.m. Sunday. It is the first round of torrential rain to hit the county this year. A total of 23 townships and districts have been affected, according to the municipal emergency management bureau of Changde City, which administers Shimen.
Search and rescue operations are underway, alongside efforts to repair damaged infrastructure and guarantee daily necessities for affected residents.
The National Development and Reform Commission said on Wednesday that it has urgently allocated 50 million yuan (about 7.31 million US dollars) from the central government’s investment budget to support post-flood emergency recovery efforts in Hunan Province.
Some areas in Hunan have been hit by severe flooding, resulting in heavy casualties and property losses. Continuous heavy rainfall has lashed the province’s Shimen County, leaving five people dead and 11 others missing, according to local authorities.
Additionally, the authorities dispatched 15,000 pieces of disaster relief supplies to the central province of Hubei as heavy rains and flooding continued to affect the region, the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) said Wednesday.
The disaster aid package, which includes summer quilts, folding tables and chairs, and household emergency kits, will help local authorities resettle affected residents, provide relief assistance and ensure their basic living needs are met.
The supplies were allocated by the office of the national commission for disaster prevention, reduction and relief, the MEM, and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.
Heavy rainfall has lashed southern and central China in recent days, triggering floods and geological disasters. On Tuesday, China allocated 120 million yuan (about 17.5 million US dollars) to five provincial-level regions: Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Chongqing and Guizhou
(IANS)
