China floods kill 44 in drought-hit provinces

[phantom power]

(Reuters) - Torrential rain in two drought-stricken central China provinces triggered landslides and brought down houses, killing at least 44 people and leaving 33 missing, state media said on Friday.

The number of people evacuated from the city of Xianning in Hubei province rose to 100,000 by Friday evening, with thousands still stranded, official news agency Xinhua said.

Fierce downpours started on Thursday evening, causing landslides and destroying river embankments in parts of the city. Flood waters reached depths of more than 2 metres (6.5 ft) and 20 people were killed.

In the cities of Linxiang and Yueyang in nearby Hunan province, the death toll rose to 19 by late Friday, with another 28 still missing, Xinhua said.

The two provinces were among the worst hit by a severe drought in recent months that affected millions of hectares of farmland in central and southern China along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze river.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/06/10/idINIndia-57622220110610

[GliderGuider]

1. Again with the weather reports, Mr. Power?

Have the admonishments taught you nothing?

All the Chinese need are some more swimming instructors...

And the obligatory just-in-case tag:
:sarcasm: