China steps up efforts as it faces floods, landslides

ANKARA

China has stepped up efforts to battle an intense wave of extreme weather, as rain-triggered floods wreak havoc in the southern and central parts of the country, according to local media on Thursday.

The government instructed rescue and relief authorities "to give top priority" to ensuring protect people's lives and property and minimize losses, local English-language China Daily reported.

The death toll resulting from the recent heavy downpours in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality rose to 17 on Thursday, with two others still missing, while local rescue workers are searching for the bodies and any potential survivors.

Massive rains, which mainly hit areas along the Yangtze River, have triggered floods and landslides, affecting more than 130,000 people across 19 districts and counties, the newspaper reported, citing local emergency management officials.

Over 7,500 hectares (about 18,500 acres) of crops have also been damaged, prompting the local officials to raise the emergency response to Level III, up from the lowest fourth level.

Water overflowed from a nearby river onto roads in low-lying areas of the central Wanzhou district, submerging shops and residences on the ground floor on Tuesday.

In the neighboring southeastern Hunan province, the lives of more than 100,000 residents in the Tujia-Miao autonomous prefecture of Xiangxi were disrupted by massive downpours and floods, which also caused property loss of about 617 million Chinese yuan ($85.73 million), the daily reported.

Rescue personnel have evacuated over 4,200 residents to several makeshift locations in the region.

In Sichuan province, which borders Chongqing, more than 460,000 people have been impacted by heavy downpours this month, the provincial flood control and drought relief office said Tuesday.

Across the province, over 85,000 local residents have been evacuated to safe areas as a precaution.

Beijing on Wednesday earmarked 320 million yuan ($44.17 million) to support flood and other disaster relief work in regions including Chongqing and Sichuan.