Morning – Torrential rain leaves at least 12 people dead in China

Torrential rains left at least 12 people dead over the weekend in China’s southwestern Sichuan Province, the country facing deadly floods since early June, state media said on Monday.

In the canton of Mianning, located some 350 kilometers from the regional capital Chengdu, two people died in particular when their vehicle, traveling on a highway damaged by the waves, fell into a river.

In addition to the 12 deaths recorded in total in the province, 10 missing are also to be deplored, announced the news agency Chine nouvelle.

Since the beginning of the month, the south of the country has been hit by torrential rains that have caused landslides and floods, affecting a total of 12 million people, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. In the space of a few weeks, more than 720,000 people were evacuated and a total of 78 dead are to be deplored, according to the same source.

Photos and videos published by state media show submerged fields and lifeguards with waist-deep water carrying residents on their backs.

The rainy season has already resulted in 25.7 billion yuan (3.2 billion euros) in economic losses, the ministry said. A blow to an economy that has already suffered greatly from the Covid-19 epidemic.

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