Prolonged storms causing floods and landslides continue to
hammer southwest China's Sichuan
Province and Chongqing
Municipality, destroying roads, homes and crops and leaving
scores of people dead or missing.
Casualty counts are still preliminary, but China Central
Television, quoting the State Flood Control and Drought Relief
Headquarters, reported that as of 8:00 AM on Tuesday, 56 people
were dead, 55 missing and 6.5 million affected in Sichuan Province.
In neighboring Chongqing Municipality, 33 were reported dead, 33
missing and 1.6 million affected.
At 9:00 AM Tuesday, Xinhua News Agency reported 105 dead in
Sichuan and Chongqing, with 83 missing.
The Huaxi Daily, a Sichuan newspaper, reports 67 dead
in the province and 55 missing. It does not give figures for
Chongqing.
At 4:00 PM Tuesday, an official with the State Flood Control and
Drought Relief Headquarters who declined to give his name refused
to confirm casualty figures, but stated that the 89 dead and 88
missing reported by CCTV "could be used."
Meanwhile, the central government has allocated 40 million yuan
(US$4.8 million) in disaster relief for the devastated region.
The State Council, under the direction of Premier Wen Jiabao,
dispatched a task force to oversee rescue and relief efforts. The
team has arrived in the stricken area.
The Red Cross Society of China has also allocated relief goods,
including tents and quilts.
(CRI, CCTV, China.org.cn September 7, 2004)