Torrential rains kill at least 15 in southwest China
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Fifteen people are dead and four are missing after heavy rains in southwest China.
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People wade through floodwaters along a street following heavy rains in Zhengzhou, in China’s central Henan province, on July 20. (AFP)
Fifteen people were killed and four were missing as a result of excessive rain in southwest China on Wednesday, according to state media.
"The latest round of torrential rains since Monday had killed 15 people and left four others missing in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality as of 7 am Wednesday", state news agency Xinhua said, citing local authorities.
The confirmation of casualties comes after officials issued a rain-related disaster alert for wide swaths of central and southwest China on Tuesday.
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According to Xinhua, President Xi Jinping has directed that "authorities at all levels must give top priority to ensuring people's safety and property." The President further underlined the role of officials in these floods, as they "must take the lead in fighting the floods, put the people's safety and property first, and strive to minimize all kinds of losses."
Workers discovered on Tuesday that a closed-off railway bridge on the outskirts of Chongqing had collapsed after being "damaged by the impact of mountain torrents," according to state media CCTV.
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Authorities in neighboring Sichuan claimed more than 460,000 people had been affected by the severe rain this month, according to Xinhua.
According to officials, some 85,000 people have been evacuated from their homes as a result of the rain, with "flash floods in mountainous areas" and "possible mudslides in some parts" of the country expected this week.
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