More than 80,000 people have been evacuated because of heavy rains and floods in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, state media reported on Monday.
Water levels at major rivers in the province were above warning levels following heavy rainfall from Friday to Sunday. One reservoir in the city of Dazhou exceeded its flood limit by 2.2 metres, according to the official China News Service. It said more than 440,000 people have now been affected by floods in six cities across the province. State broadcaster CCTV said on Saturday that heavy rain had already caused 250 million yuan ($38.57 million) in economic losses in Sichuan with 45 houses destroyed and 118 severely damaged. Chinese weather officials told reporters last week that rising temperatures had increased the likelihood of heavy rainfall across the globe, and the impact in China was likely to get worse in coming years.
