China: Flooding and Heavy Rain Plague

Days of heavy rain swept away a bridge in China’s southern Fujian Province on Wednesday.

State-run media reports that the downpours have inflicted some of the heaviest flood damage in the region’s history.

The 420 foot-long bridge was an important transportation route out of the town.

The heavy rain, which has been falling for more than two weeks, has swallowed up the town of Taining.

Hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate.

Severe weather has also plagued China’s north-western Qinghai Province, killing five people. Eight are still missing.

At least 800 buildings completely collapsed or were damaged during the period, and electricity for 67 counties has been cut.

State media is drawing parallels between this year’s floods and those of the summer of 1998, which burst some of the main flood banks along the Yangtze, inundated major cities, killed at least 37-hundred people, and left about 15 million temporarily homeless.

Foto: NTDTV