Heavy rain kills 5 in northwest China

2076

XI’AN, China, Sept. 28, 2017 (BSS/Xinhua) – Five people died and four remain missing in the city of Ankang in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province after heavy rain hit the city starting Tuesday, local authorities said Thursday.

Around 150,000 people suffered losses, and the local government has
evacuated more than 27,000 residents, according to the city’s flood control headquarters.

The rain also damaged at least 2,000 houses and more than 12,000 hectares of crops. The direct economic losses surpassed 540 million yuan (around 81 million U.S. dollars), it said.

On Thursday, the provincial weather bureau has lifted a blue alert for heavy rain, but warned the city to take precautions against geological disasters including floods and mudslides.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.