225 killed or missing in China rains

Beijing, July 23

As many as 225 people have been killed or missing in heavy torrential rain and floods in China as thousands of angry residents took to streets over late disaster warning and ineffective rescue efforts.

Local authorities have evacuated nearly 3.10 lakh people due to rainstorms this week that have flattened homes and caused huge economic losses. The toll in heavy rains this week mounted to 105 people dead and 104 others listed missing in north China's Hubei Province, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

Flooding and rain-triggered landslides have caused the collapse of more than 52,000 houses and damage to 1.60 lakhs. Over seven lakh hectares of crops have also been destroyed, leading to direct economic losses of over 15 billion yuan (USD 2.2 billion), the report said.

The worst hit area was reported to be Xingtai city where at least 25 people were killed and another 13 missing  after which people took to streets to protest over rescue efforts. — PTI