Floods hit parts of China. by Steph Ball
Heavy rain across China has triggered a series of disasters which have killed a total of 21 people over the last two days. Late Friday night a mudslide swept through the village of Heba in the Sichuan province killing 12 people and leaving more than 300 homeless. Meanwhile in the neighbouring county of Shimian, the rain dislodged a boulder which slammed into a bus killing 9 people.
Torrential rain has been lashing at the south west province of Chongqing since Wednesday, flooding a number of cities while causing temperatures to drop. Floods have been affecting parts of Beijing where residents have only just recovered from being smothered by dust after the heavy rain pounded the city.
While much of China has been hit by heavy rain, a number of regions in the north are in the middle of the worst drought in over 60 years. Over one and a half million people in the northern province of Gansu are facing extreme water shortages due to lack of any significant rainfall over the last two months.
Last year China suffered a range of extreme weather events, from strong typhoons to severe flooding. With similar weather expected over the course of this year it appears that the worst is not over yet.
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