771 killed or missing in floods in China
(Agencies/China Daily)
Updated: 2005-06-28 11:18

China raised the number of killed and missing in this year's floods to 771, and warned scorching temperatures in previously inundated areas create "ideal" conditions for infectious diseases.

A soldier sits on dam watching the river tide in Wuzhou, Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in this June 22, 2005 photo. [newsphoto]

A total of 607 are confirmed dead, and 164 remain missing, the Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Nearly 2.9 million people have been evacuated because of the floods, while a staggering 21.5 million people have been affected to various degrees, according to the agency.

The most severely affected areas are the southern provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan and Guangdong, as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where unusually heavy rain has caused rivers to swell, Xinhua said.

As the water receded, the mercury started climbing, which was bad news for officials nervous about the outbreak of water-borne diseases.

"The hot weather creates ideal conditions for the spread of many infectious diseases," China Daily quoted a flood control official in Guangdong Province as saying.

In Guangdong's capital Guangzhou, temperatures Monday rose to 34.2 degrees Celsius, according to the paper.

Guangdong, home to 80 million people, was severely affected by the floods, as the Pearl River passing through the province on its way to the South China Sea is fed by several tributaries swollen by this summer's rainstorms.

As in previous flood seasons, the People's Liberation Army has been charged with playing a key role in relief efforts.

Around 144,000 active soldiers and reservists have been dispatched to help in the flood-ravaged areas, according to Xinhua.

They have been engaged in evacuations, relocating half a million people and reinforcing dykes under pressure from the soaring water.

Meanwhile, helicopters and transport aircraft have been used to airdrop food supplies in flood-stricken areas not easily reached by land, Xinhua said.

While southern China is experiencing devastating floods, some of its eastern provinces are seeing summer rain that is just one tenth of the usual amount.

Jiangsu province is reporting a precipitous fall in its reservoirs, putting this year's farm output at risk.

To make up for this situation, local governments in many areas have authorized the firing of silver-iodide missiles into the clouds to artificially induce rain.

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