BEIJING — Southern China was reeling Tuesday from heavy rains that triggered landslides that killed at least nine people, knocked out power to entire villages and buried crops.
Meanwhile, northern areas of the country are battling drought as the country faces two extremes of severe weather.
Four people died and two others went missing in Wuping county in the coastal province of Fujian due to landslides triggered by torrential rains. Heavy downpours began Sunday afternoon, with authorities measuring 372.4 millimeters (14.7 inches) of rain over a 24-hour period.
At least 378 houses collapsed in the county and 880 hectares (2,175 acres) of crops were damaged, accounting for economic losses of at least 415 million yuan ($57.2 million) in Wuping, authorities said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
In the southern province of Guangdong, bordering Hong Kong, landslides triggered by severe flooding killed at least five people in the city of Meizhou. Fifteen other people were missing, according to local media reports.
More than 130,000 homes in Meizhou experienced power outages, with some neighboring cities and towns out of touch as of Monday.
According to local authorities, three helicopters and more than 200 rescue teams were searching for survivors and bringing aid to the affected areas.
More than 11,000 people were relocated after the Hanjiang River in southern China’s Pearl River Basin flooded, drowning crop fields and inundating homes.
In the southwestern province of Guizhou, more than 1,100 people were evacuated due to flooding in several counties.
Meanwhile, much of northern China, including the capital Beijing, has endured high temperatures in recent days. However, rain is expected in drought-affected areas in the next 10 days, according to China’s national meteorological bureau.
Last month, flood-related disasters left several dead and missing in 17 provinces in China, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
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