Yunnan floods kill five

Heavy rains in Yunnan province have killed five people and affected more than 60,000 others, local authorities said Thursday.

The provincial civil affairs department said that as of 4 pm yesterday, more than 2,100 houses had collapsed, 14,200 others had been damaged, and about 2,500 people had been evacuated.

Kunming, the provincial capital, on Tuesday recorded its third-highest rainfall since records began in 1951. Up to a meter of water fell in the city center during a six-hour storm that inundated major roads and buildings, the department said.

As of Thursday afternoon, except in low-lying areas, most of the water had been diverted away, it said.
Forecasters said yesterday that more rain is due in most parts of the province over the next two days, and residents are advised to take precautions against flooding.

Tuesday marked the beginning of the flood season for the country's northern and southwestern regions, the State Flood Control and Draught Relief Headquarters said.

Meteorological departments have said more natural disasters, such as typhoons, floods and droughts, will hit the country this summer than in previous years, it said in a statement on its website.

Typhoons and floods have also come earlier than normal, it said.

However as of Tuesday, the number of casualties, collapsed houses and farms affected by floods were all down on last year, thanks to improved precautions and prompt disaster relief measures, the statement said.

As of Tuesday, 237 people had been killed and 64 were missing nationwide as a result of the floods, it said.