121 Dead or Missing and 19.38 Million Displaced Due to Heavy Rain in Central and Southern Regions

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Heavy rain has poured over southern China for more than a month, resulting in nearly 20 million displaced people and 121 deaths or missing persons.

According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency on the 5th, as of the 3rd, the number of displaced people in 26 provinces and cities in southern China reached 19.38 million, with 121 people dead or missing. Additionally, 170 million houses collapsed, and 875,000 people evacuated to other locations. During this period, 1.56 million hectares of farmland were submerged, causing property damage worth 41.64 billion yuan (approximately 7.0679 trillion KRW).

As of the 30th of last month, the nationwide average rainfall in China was 293.9 mm, a 7.3% increase compared to the same period last year. Over the past month, there were a total of 43,000 heavy rain warnings accompanied by thunder and lightning across China. This represents a sharp increase of more than 43% compared to the same period last year. The heavy rain was concentrated in western inland regions such as Sichuan and Guizhou provinces, as well as the southern areas.

Nine counties nationwide set new records for the highest daily rainfall, and some tributaries of the Yangtze River recorded their highest water levels since 1951. A representative from the China Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Administration stated, "Currently, heavy rain has fallen in the southern region, but rainfall in China during July and August tends to concentrate in the northern areas," adding, "Flooding may occur in the three northeastern provinces and the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River during this period."