Thousands of soldiers and paramilitary police have been dispatched to help fight widespread flooding in southern China’s Guangxi region, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.
Heavy downpours have wrought devastation in more than half of the 71 counties in the mountainous region, one of the poorest in China. Major cities have also been hit, including the renowned tourism centre of Guilin.
Xinhua said 3,12-million people were affected by the flooding, but didn’t say how. About 175 000 hectares of farmland were flooded and 20 000 houses destroyed, it said.
Officials in Beijing and Guangxi refused to provide details.
A total of 7 500 soldiers, police and paramilitary troops have been called to help out, Xinhua said.
Since May, more than 500 people have been killed in flooding that has caused 26-billion yuan ($3,1-billion) in damage in 18 Chinese provinces, state media has reported.
The central government on Wednesday warned authorities along major flood-prone rivers to prepare for the worst floods of the year. – Sapa-AP