At least 17 dead and 17 missing as flash flood hits China’s northwest
- So far, 20 people have been rescued as Datong county in Qinghai province issues level 2 alarm in response to torrential rain that began on Wednesday
- In southern China, heatwaves and drought have caused power shortages and disrupted production
At least 17 people have died and another 17 are missing after a flash flood in China’s northwestern province of Qinghai, the local government said on Thursday.
The disaster occurred early on Thursday morning in Datong county of the provincial capital Xining, the province’s emergency office said in a brief statement.
It said the office had issued a level 2 alarm over the disaster, without giving further details. China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with level 1 being the most severe.
Some 6,245 people from six villages in two townships were affected, according to an announcement by the local government on Chinese microblogging site, Weibo.
The local government has set up a forward command post and mobilised more than 2,000 police, public security, emergency response and health workers and other personnel and rural cadres, and more than 160 vehicles, to aid rescues.
So far, 20 people have been rescued and rescue operations are continuing, the state broadcaster CCTV reported.