Flash floods have left 21 people dead and 61 others missing in
central China's Henan Province, local authorities said on
Wednesday.
Continuous torrential rains struck the western part of Henan
from Sunday morning till Monday morning and triggered flash floods
in three counties, damaging power, irrigation, communications and
other facilities, said a spokesman with the provincial
flood-prevention authorities.
In Lushi County which was stricken most severely, 18 people were
killed and 57 were missing, the spokesman said.
The provincial government has dispatched relief teams to the
areas.
Flash floods have also inundated a coal mine in Shanxian County,
about 200 kilometers west of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, on Sunday
morning, when 102 miners were working underground. Thirty-three
managed to escape.
The other 69 miners who were trapped underground for more than
three days were rescued on Wednesday afternoon.
(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2007)