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12 die, 1 missing as more heavy rain hits SW China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-24 13:40

GUIYANG - Fresh rain-triggered floods have left 12 dead and one missing in Southwest China's Guizhou province, local flood control authorities said Friday.

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Heavy rain pounded 19 counties on Wednesday, destroying farmlands and houses and forcing the evacuation of 13,133 local residents, said the provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters in the latest update.

The houses of at least 93 homes had collapsed. The rain had caused direct economic losses of 128.26 million yuan ($19.7 million), according to estimates from the headquarters.

Most of the victims died in their houses when landslides buried the structures.

Persistent downpours have wreaked havoc in southern China since June 3, leaving at least 175 dead and 86 missing and forcing nearly 1.64 million people to evacuate, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Monday.

As of Wednesday, the central government had earmarked 340 million yuan for flood relief efforts.