Beijing: At least three people died in floods and mudslides that lashed southwest China`s mountainous Sichuan province on Tuesday, taking to 54 the number of those killed in two weeks of torrential rains in the country.
A total of 30 people were also missing following heavy rains triggered by typhoons. Nine of them went missing in latest floods, authorities said.
Heavy rains in Siping township of Ya`an City triggered a flood that destroyed two power stations today, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
One person died and three others were missing in the region, where traffic was disrupted at several sections of the National Highway 108, it said.
Another flood broke out in Dahua township of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, leaving one person dead and another missing, the report said.
Also in Ya`an, a mudslide caused by rains damaged a bridge and several houses early today, killing one person and leaving five others missing.
Sichuan has been witnessing frequent downpours, floods and mudslides.
The Chinese government had allocated 1.05 billion yuan (USD 165.62 million) on August 3 to help people affected by recent rains, floods and typhoons that hit many regions across China, including Sichuan.
China has been battered by three consecutive typhoons in the past two weeks in which 54 people have been killed so far and 30 listed missing.
Typhoons Saola, Damrey and Haikui have affected over 30 million people in 12 provincial regions, Xinhua said.
Preliminary reports show that subsequent natural disasters have destroyed 88,000 houses and damaged 2.3 million hectares of farmland, while direct economic losses have exceeded 65 billion yuan (about USD 10.24 billion).
PTI
