|
ZHENGZHOU, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Downpours have left 15 people dead and another eight missing in central China's Henan Province, the local civil affairs administration said on Saturday.
The torrential rain has forced 72,000 people to evacuate and damaged 102,000 hectares of crops, 3,500 hectares of it beyond repair. Henan is one of China's leading grain planters.
Direct economic losses are estimated to be nearly one billion yuan (149 million U.S. dollars).
Since Monday, 71 counties, cities and districts, nearly half of Henan's total, have seen thunderstorms and gales. Some 18,000 houses have either collapsed or been severely damaged.
The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued a grade-IV emergency response on Friday for Henan.
A grade-IV response, the lowest in China's emergency response system, requires a 24-hour alert, daily damage reports, and the allocation of fund and relief materials within 48 hours.
