30 dead, dozens missing after torrential rain in central China

BEIJING: Torrential rains in China have killed at least 30 people and left dozens more missing, state media said on Thursday, as the country grinds through another summer of extreme weather.

Confirmation of the deaths came the same day that weather authorities said July was China´s hottest month since records began six decades ago.

China is the world´s biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that scientists say are driving climate change and making extreme weather more frequent and intense.

Heatwaves this summer have scorched parts of northern China, while heavy rain has triggered floods and landslides in central and southern areas.

This week´s downpours were triggered by Typhoon Gaemi, which moved on from the Philippines and Taiwan to make landfall in eastern China a week ago, with hilly, landlocked Hunan province hit particularly hard.

More than 11,000 people were evacuated from the city of Zixing after some areas endured record rainfall of 645 millimetres in just 24 hours, state news agency Xinhua said on Tuesday.

Many roads connecting townships in the Zixing area were temporarily cut off, which also affected the power supply and communications infrastructure.

State broadcaster CCTV said on Thursday that the disruption was mostly over.

“Initial findings show that there have been 30 deaths and 35 are missing,” the report said, adding that search and rescue efforts were ongoing.

Premier Li Qiang visited two villages in Zixing on Thursday “to learn about progress on disaster relief and the extent of the damage”, Xinhua reported.