Four people have died and dozens are reported missing after torrential rains hit southwestern China last week, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday.
Chinese state television CCTV said the storms had caused massive flooding that affected a steel processing facility where more than 200 people worked.
“So far, four people have died in the floods and 48 are still missing,” CCTV said, adding that rescue operations were continuing.
Heavy rains hit Jinyang, a mountainous town in Sichuan province, on Aug. 21, but no damage was reported. Five people were detained on suspicion of “failing to report or falsely reporting a security incident”, according to CCTV.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the authorities “to do everything in their power to search for the missing (…) and comfort the families,” the channel reported.
The incident “must be thoroughly investigated and the responsible parties must be dealt with in accordance with the law,” Xi said.
China has experienced several extreme weather events in recent months. Events that, according to scientists, will become more frequent due to climate change.
In July, at least 78 people died due to massive flooding in the north of the country, following the passage of Typhoon Doksuri.
Source: TSF
