Torrential rain kills 10 in south-western China; thousands evacuated
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BEIJING – Torrential downpours lashed China’s south-west, killing 10 people in a house collapse and a landslide, state broadcaster CCTV said on Aug 19, with tens of thousands also evacuated as a precaution.
The country’s disaster prevention authorities evacuated 21,784 people following heavy downpours in several areas, including Chengdu and Zigong.
Five people died in Sichuan province after accumulated rainwater caused a roof and a wall of a village home to collapse during a dinner party on Aug 18, CCTV said.
The incident happened at a family’s courtyard in Xinbao village in Changning County during a banquet hosted to celebrate their children’s college entrance, CCTV said.
Excessive accumulation of rainwater had weighed on a temporary awning that was tightly secured to a wall, causing both structures to collapse.
Of the five dead, three died at the location and the other two at the hospital, where 17 more who were injured received treatment.
It was unclear if there were children or young people among those killed or injured.
The Sichuan authorities declared a heavy rain alert this week and warned about disaster risks.
Torrential rain since Aug 18 unleashed two disasters that cut off roads in the mountainous Garze and Aba areas, CCTV said.
The authorities are also investigating the cause of a landslide on Aug 17 at a construction site in Guangxi region that buried five people, who were later pulled out lifeless by rescue workers, CCTV said.
The authorities had warned earlier that loose sand and gravel in the high mountain canyon area could unleash landslides. REUTERS
