Nine people are missing in central China after a landslide triggered by torrential rains, with much of the country experiencing flooding and scorching temperatures, officials said Sunday.
Five people were rescued from the rubble of a road construction site in central Hubei province where the accident occurred on Saturday. The teams continued to search for more survivors.
Tens of thousands of people have been transferred to shelters due to severe flooding in northern, central and southeastern China.
Seasonal flooding is common in China, but this year the country has experienced both heat waves and drought, prompting Beijing to suspend outdoor work.
So far, two deaths in Beijing have been attributed to the heat, while health authorities in Shaoxing, a city in Zhejiang province, said on Thursday they had recorded heat-related deaths but did not specify a number.
On Thursday, weather officials warned that severe drought in northern China was threatening crops and straining power grids.
In the south, severe flooding has displaced thousands of people in recent weeks.
The average global temperature hit a new unofficial record on Thursday, marking the third milestone in what was once the warmest week on record.
Source: DN
