|
At Least 51 People Killed by
Floods in China's Xinjiang Region
BEIJING, June 18 (AFP) - At least 51 people have been
killed in floods in northwest China's Muslim-dominated
Xinjiang region since the beginning of the month,
state media said Wednesday.
Over 40 cases of flooding have occurred across the
region since June 1, causing severe human and property
losses, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Zhang
Zhiliang, a local flood-control official.
Melting snow and "unprecedented" downpours have
swollen rivers and lakes in several parts of the
region and a number of landslides have been reported,
Zhang said according to the news agency.
The biggest disaster of the month happened on June 5,
when 27 were killed during flooding of the Ili River,
according to Xinhua.
Local meteorologists have warned that heavy rainfall
could still occur, hampering flood-control efforts and
relief work, the agency said.
Xinjiang is mainly populated by Muslim ethnic
minorities, although Han Chinese migrants now
represent more than 40 percent of the population.
During some of the worst floods for decades in 1998,
more than 4,000 people were killed throughout China.
|
