Shanxi flooding kills 15; crops also damaged

Torrential rains in Shanxi province claimed the lives of 15 people, and three are missing, according to officials at a news conference held on Tuesday in Taiyuan.

Rains and rain-induced disasters have affected more than 1.75 million people in 76 counties and brought more than 5 billion yuan ($779 million) in economic losses.

About 19,500 houses collapsed and around 120,100 people have been relocated to safer places. The rain damaged about 238,460 hectares of grain crops.

It was the heaviest rain in Shanxi for the first week of October since weather conditions began to be recorded, Wang Wenyi, deputy director of the Shanxi Meteorological Administration said at the news conference.

From Oct 2 to 7, the average precipitation across the province reached 119 millimeters, with cities including Taiyuan, Yangquan, Lyuliang, Jinzhong and Linfen exceeding 150 millimeters. Certain parts in those cities saw more than 200 millimeters of precipitation.

Entering September, the province was hit by five rounds of strong rainfall, bringing average precipitation in the province to 302.2 millimeters, the largest amount of rain since weather conditions began to be recorded, Wang said.

Parts of the province will see strong winds and cold temperatures, accompanied by weak rainfall from Oct 13 to 17. Some parts will experience frost after Oct 18, which will influence autumn harvests and disaster relief, Wang said.