BEIJING, Nov 4, 2008 (AFP) - The number of people killed as a result of massive downpours in southwest China -- many buried in landslides -- has risen to 43, and another 47 are missing, state media reported on Tuesday. Rains that have pounded Yunnan province and the neighbouring Guangxi region have caused a series of landslides, affecting nearly one million people, the official China Daily reported. At least 35 people were killed in Yunnan and eight died in Guangxi, according to the newspaper.
More rain is expected to hit southwest China in the coming days, and quake-hit areas in neighbouring Sichuan province should be on alert, Sun Jun, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Centre, told the paper. "Southwest China will see an increase in rainfall in the coming three days and earthquake-hit areas, such as Wenchuan, will see light to moderate snowfall," he told the paper, referring to the massive quake that hit Sichuan province in May. "The heavy rainfall in autumn is not often seen in this area and people there should prepare for that."
Electricity supply, telecommunications, and education and health facilities in Yunnan have all been affected by the weather, and direct economic losses are estimated at around 52 million yuan (7.6 million dollars), the report said. Railway services have also been disrupted, with no traffic on the line from Kunming, capital of Yunnan, to Dali, a popular destination with backpackers.
mbx/ph/km