China Reports 96 Dead or Missing and 15 Million Displaced Due to This Month's Heavy Rainfall

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] In China, heavy rains that occurred since mid-month in various regions including Henan Province, Shanxi Province, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have resulted in 96 deaths or missing persons and over 15 million displaced people so far.

According to the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper China Youth Daily on the 29th, Zhou Xueyuan, Vice Minister of China's Ministry of Water Resources, stated, "Since the 17th, floods and inundation damage have occurred in 21 regions including Henan, Shanxi, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. There have been 73 deaths in Henan Province alone, and a total of 96 people have died or gone missing due to this heavy rain," adding, "More than 15.4 million people have been displaced."

The total damage scale for this year, as compiled by Chinese authorities, shows that 146 people nationwide have died or gone missing due to floods and inundation, and 34.81 million people have been displaced. Additionally, over 72,000 houses have collapsed, and the estimated direct economic loss amounts to 123 billion yuan (approximately 21.8 trillion Korean won).

However, Vice Minister Zhou explained, "The scale of displaced people, the number of deaths and missing persons, and economic losses are 34%, 64%, and 22% lower respectively compared to the average for the same period over the past five years." He emphasized, "This year, abnormal climate and extreme weather have frequently appeared, and the distribution of rainfall areas and timing has been uneven."

In China, due to the influence of Typhoon No. 6 'In-fa,' heavy rain fell in many parts of eastern regions such as Jiangsu, Anhui, and Shandong Provinces the day before. The typhoon is expected to turn northeast today and subsequently affect areas near Bohai.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.