Floods and landslides across southern China have killed at least 88 people and left 48 missing in a week.
Torrential downpours triggered flash floods, inundated crops, disrupted traffic and telecommunications, forcing the evacuation of 757,000 people, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said in a statement.
The death toll from flooding this week in southern China rose to 90 Saturday, and 1.4 million people were evacuated as the inundated region prepared for more heavy storms.
Fifty people were also missing in nine provinces and regions across China’s south, the state flood control office said. Water levels have surged passed safe levels in dozens of rivers, including the Pearl River in the heart of China’s manufacturing region.
As of 8 a.m. Saturday, 5.5 million people had been affected by flooding, the office said.
Its deputy director said more than 1.4 million residents had been moved from low-lying areas since Thursday, the China Daily newspaper reported.
The National Meteorological Center warned of heavy rains until Sunday afternoon.
Strong rainstorms have collapsed reservoirs, overflowed rivers, caused landslides and power outages, and damaged highways, the disaster relief agency website said.
China Daily reported that nine local officials in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region had been punished for dereliction of duty in flood work, including a reservoir monitor who was caught playing poker.
China’s rainy season, which began in May, follows the worst drought in a century for the southern Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi regions. Drought affected 61 million people, leaving millions without drinking water and 12 million acres (5 million hectares) barren since last year.
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