China's flood, landslide death toll passes 400 as more rain falls

Beijing (dpa) - More than 400 people have died in summer floods and landslides in China this year, according to figures reported by the International Committee of the Red Cross and state media on Thursday.

Heavy rain on Thursday continued the threat of landslides and flooding in many parts of central, eastern and southern China, especially along the Huaihe and Yangtze rivers.

Soldiers and workers in the eastern province of Anhui have evacuated 564,000 people from the Huaihe valley, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Most of those evacuated in Anhui have taken shelter with friends or relatives, with about 150,000 living in temporary huts or tents, the agency said.

"Chinese authorities have blown up seven dikes along the rain-swollen Huaihe in the last two days to divert floodwaters and protect large cities,'' the International Red Cross said in a statement.

Some 100 million people in 16 provinces have already been affected by floods and landslides since May 1, the Red Cross said.

More than one million people in more than 5,000 villages have been left stranded by floodwater in Anhui, in the worst flooding since 1991.

In the southwestern Sichuan province, at least three people died and 13 were missing after a mudslide buried 18 roadworkers late Wednesday evening, China News Service said.

The water resources ministry has warned that about one-third of China's 86,000 reservoirs were at risk of damage from the floods.

The Chinese government has given no official total for flood-related deaths for more than one week.

The Red Cross reported 298 deaths from May 1 to July 9, but its total did not include at least 108 deaths reported by state media or the Ministry of Civil Affairs this week. Four provinces where deaths have occurred - Guangdong, Henan, Gansu and Shaanxi - were not included the Red Cross list of affected areas.

More than 1,000 people died in summer floods last year, the worst year since some 4,000 died in 1998.

The government hopes the huge reservoir in the Yangtze's scenic Three Gorges will provide a long-term solution to the annual flooding.

dpa bs rk AP-NY-07-10-03 0651EDT

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Received by NewsEdge Insight: 07/10/2003 06:52:13