Nine people are missing in central China following a landslide caused by heavy rain, with much of the country experiencing flooding and scorching temperatures, authorities said on Sunday.
Five people were rescued from the rubble of a road construction site in the central province of Hubei, where the accident occurred on Saturday. Crews continued to search for more survivors.
Tens of thousands of people have been moved to shelters due to heavy flooding in north, central and southeast China.
Seasonal flooding is common in China, but this year the country has experienced both heat waves and droughts, and Beijing has suspended outdoor work.
So far, two deaths in Beijing have been attributed to heat, while health authorities in Shaoxing, a city in Zhejiang province, said on Thursday they had recorded deaths caused by heat, but did not specify a number.
On Thursday, meteorological officials warned that severe drought in north China was threatening crops and overloading power grids.
In the south, heavy flooding has displaced thousands of people in recent weeks.
Earth’s average temperature hit a new unofficial record on Thursday, the third milestone in what was once the hottest week on record.
Source: TSF
