Flooding from torrential summer rains, which has killed at least 700 people and displaced millions, is the worst China has suffered in more than a decade, officials said Wednesday.
The rains, which began in May after a severe drought in southern China, are inundating cities and villages throughout the country. Well over half of China’s provinces are now enduring monsoon-like downpours, flooding and landslides.
“Compared to the same period for the last 10 years, losses from the flood are much higher this year,” said Liu Ning, secretary-general of the government’s flood prevention department, in a press conference Wednesday in Beijing.
Flood season plagues China every summer, but this year’s is likely to be the most devastating since 1998, when flooding killed about 4,150 people.
Full story: Deadly China floods called worst in a decade – Los Angeles Times