BEIJING, Aug 18(ABC): Sixteen people were killed and many left missing in flash flooding in northwest China, state media reported Thursday, as the country battles extreme weather that has shuttered factories and caused rolling power cuts.
The deluge comes during a summer of soaring temperatures and torrential rains in China, with multiple cities clocking their hottest days on record and floods causing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage. Floods hit this week in a mountainous region of Datong county in Qinghai province, affecting more than 6,200 people from six villages, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Photos of the aftermath showed roads covered in mud, uprooted trees, damaged homes and rescue workers carrying shovels. “As of noon on the 18th, 16 people have been killed,” added CCTV, saying that rescue work was ongoing.
At least 18 people are missing and 20 have since been rescued, and a “frontline headquarters” has been set up to organise the emergency response, according to state media reports. “The rescue work is progressing in an orderly manner,” the report said, adding that sudden heavy rainfall Wednesday night had triggered the situation.
