Flood Kills 19 in North China

May 23, 1998 - 0:0
BEIJING Floods caused by torrential rains have killed 19 people and injured 24 in China's northwestern province of Gansu, a local official said on Friday. This latest count brought the death toll from floods to 50 this year. Water inundated five cities in Gansu on Wednesday, including the provincial capital Ianzhou, toppling 1,257 houses and damaging 5,520 hectares (13,640 acres) of spring wheat and other cash crops, a provincial flood prevention official said.

He declined to give an estimate of damage to property, but said flooding hit 80,320 meters (263,517 feets) of irrigation facilities, as well as 15 km (9.3 miles) of highway. State media said the death toll from floods in the neighboring Xinjiang region has risen to 11 from 10. Xinjiang's hardest-hit county of Xinyuan, near Yili city, has been battered by heavy rains since May 16.

(Reuter)