Floods, natural disasters kill nearly 2,000 in China in 2003: official

BEIJING (AFP) Sep 21, 2003
The torrential rains and flooding that have soaked China this year have been responsible for nearly 2,000 deaths nationwide since January, state media reported Sunday citing a senior official.

Vice Minister of Civil Affairs Yang Yanyin told a Beijing conference on rehabilitation work that floods, droughts, earthquakes and storms have caused more than 18 billion dollars in direct losses to the economy in addition to taking 1,911 lives, Xinhua reported.

A total of 6.31 million people were evacuated to protect them from disasters, including mudflows and landslides, while 50.7 million hectares of cropland now lies fallow after hazardous weather.

The ministry has dispatched teams nationwide to assist local relief efforts, pouring more than 325 million dollars in aid to badly-hit areas, Xinhua said.

With so many in dire need of assistance, Yang warned local and provincial officials away from diverting the aid dollars towards corrupt personal ends, setting an October 10 deadline for all monies to be put toward disaster-affected communities.

TERRA.WIRE