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Friday, August 23, 2002 - Web posted at 7:54:10 am GMT More than 600,000 evacuated from flood-hit China regionCHENGLINGJI, China, Aug 23 (AFP) - More than 600,000 people have been evacuated from around rain-swollen Dongting Lake in central China, which is threatening to burst its banks and engulf millions, official media said Friday. At least 16 people have died and 27,000 homes have collapsed, the China Daily said, giving the first official statistics on how badly the current flood crisis has already hit the region. More than 8.4 million people have been affected in the region, which has seen water levels in Dongting and the rivers which feed it surge above danger levels, the Ministry of Civil Affairs told the newspaper. Additionally, 415,000 hectares (one million acres) of crops have been damaged, the report said. Dongting basin is one of China's most important rice-growing areas. More than a million people are working around the clock to shore up flood defences around Dongting, China's second-biggest fresh water lake, which acts as a major catchment for the Yangtze River, other official reports said. Around 10 million people are feared to be under threat, including the populations of Changhsa, Hunan's capital, and the massive industrial city of Wuhan in neighbouring Hubei province, which sits on the Yangtze. Hunan's government has declared a state of emergency, and the International Red Cross on Wednesday warned donors to be ready to send tents, blankets and other aid if the situation worsened. pw/nj Nampa-AFP WEB story ENDS (NAMPA 230234) |
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