Mice Plague Chinese Countryside

More rains, tropical storms expected this weekend

(AP) - A new round of flooding across central China has killed 41 people, bringing the total killed in seasonal flooding this year to at least 95, state media reported today. Torrential rains triggered floods and landslides that toppled homes and destroyed river embankments, killing 22 people and leaving five others missing, Xinhua News Agency said. A total of 111,000 people were relocated to safer places. More»

More rain expected tomorrow; 1100 still missing

(AP) - Rescuers dug through mud and wreckage today searching for more than 1,100 people missing after flash floods and landslides struck northwestern China and killed 337, one of a series of floods across Asia that have killed hundreds and spread misery to millions more. Vehicles carrying aid supplies choked the road over bare, eroded mountains into the remote county seat of Zhouqu. Bodies wrapped in blankets were collected and laid on truck beds. "There were some, but very few, survivors. Most of them are dead, crushed into the earth," said a survivor. More»

Millions plunged into misery

(NEWSER) - Rescuers searched today for an estimated 1,300 people left missing after rubble-strewn floodwaters tore through northwestern China, smashing buildings, overturning cars, and killing at least 127 people. In neighboring Pakistan, 4 million people faced food shortages amid their country's worst-ever flooding, while rescuers in Indian-controlled Kashmir raced to find 500 people still missing in flash floods that have killed 132. More»

Torrential rain triggers flooding, mudslides in northwest province

(NEWSER) - More than 100 people are dead and 2,000 missing after heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides in a remote corner of northwest China. Tens of thousands of Gansu province residents were evacuated. Widespread power outages have slowed rescue operations, and sludge as much as 6 feet deep covers some main roads, reports the official Xinhua news agency . " Torrential rains began to fall at around 10 pm Saturday," said a Zhouqu County official. "Then there were mudslides and many people became trapped. " More»

(NEWSER) - Some one million people on China's southeast coast have fled ahead of a massive typhoon spawning 30-foot waves and packing 74 mph winds, reports the BBC. Typhoon Morakot made landfall early today in Fujan Province after authorities sent more than 8 million text messages warning residents to evacuate. Morakot dumped more than 8 feet of rain on Taiwan earlier this week, triggering the worst flooding in 50 years. The typhoon also sparked violent rains in the Philippines, where at least 10 people died. More»