Twenty-three people have been killed as rainstorms battered China over the past week, destroying more than 5,200 homes and forcing the evacuation of nearly 34,000 people, authorities said Monday.
Heavy rainfall since October 1 has caused widespread damage in southwestern Sichuan province and Chongqing municipality, the central provinces of Anhui, Henan and Hubei and in northwest Shaanxi province, the ministry of civil affairs said.
Direct economic losses from storm damage across the country were estimated at 3.26 billion yuan ($490.3 million) by the ministry.
State broadcaster CCTV reported large trees had been toppled by the strong winds.
The latest destruction follows a deadly summer for flooding and landslides across much of China.
In June and August massive landslides in the southwestern province of Sichuan killed more than 30 and left scores missing.
In July, more than 60 people were killed by landslides and floods in the central province of Hunan. Some 1.6 million people were forced from their homes.
Germany reels from deadly storm; Severe train disruptions
Thousands of commuters were hit Friday by train cancellations in northern and eastern Germany after a powerful storm that killed seven motorists.
Storm Xavier slammed into the country late afternoon on Thursday, uprooting trees and flinging signs and billboards to the ground with winds that reached 130 kilometres (80 miles) per hour.
"Most of the train tracks in the north and east of Ger … read more
