Friday, 3 July 2009
A landslide caused by heavy rains has killed six people and destroyed 3,800 homes in central China, the Sina news agency reported on Friday.
More than 100 mm of rain fell in parts of Hunan Province on Thursday.
A family of four was killed in the village of Shiniu, where at least two homes were destroyed, and another villager is reported missing. Two more deaths occurred in the neighboring towns of Santangpu and Heye, Sina said.
Some 40,000 hectares of cropland and 800 embankments had been ruined in the Shuangfeng County as of Friday.
A total of 95 people have been killed and another 21 are missing across the country since the rains started on Sunday. The damage to the Chinese economy has been estimated at $1.5 billion.
Meanwhile, China's northern and western parts have been on the second-highest, or the orange alert, meaning temperatures could rise to above 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in a number of cities, including Beijing, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Meteorologists fear temperatures could reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degree Fahrenheit) in some areas.
However, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) expects the heatwave to ease on Sunday.
