Heavy rain leaves four dead, 48 missing in China’s Sichuan
BEIJING, Aug 30: Four people were confirmed dead and 48 others missing after heavy rainstorms lashed Jinyang county in China’s Sichuan province, local authorities said on Wednesday. A top official from the provincial public security department told reporters that rainstorms triggered a flash flood at a highway construction site, reports Xinhua news agency. Five people from the construction company and a labor service company were detained on Monday. They are accused of failing to report the accident or deliberately providing false information about the accident, the official said. The police investigation has confirmed that there were 201 people at the construction site when the disaster occurred, of which 149 escaped the danger. Police continue to probe the case, while the search for the missing people is still underway. In the early morning of August 21, a flash flood hit Jinyang due to a short spell of heavy downpour. The flooding washed away the make-shift houses of the workers in the steel bar processing site of the Shudao Group that was undertaking the highway construction project in the lower reaches of the Lugaolin River, resulting in the casualties. More than 2,000 people have joined the search and rescue operations. The bodies of four victims were retrieved between August 23 and 27. (IANS)
Super typhoon Saola affects nearly 200,000 in Philippines
MANILA, Aug 30: Super typhoon Saola has triggered floods and landslides in seven regions of the Philippines, affecting nearly 200,000 people, the government said on Wednesday. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said at least one person was reported missing, but there has been no fatality so far, reports Xinhua news agency. The disaster management agency said Saola flooded 193 areas and triggered 12 landslides on main Luzon island and the central Philippines. More than 35,000 of the displaced residents are still in temporary shelters. Saola intensified into a super typhoon at dawn on Sunday, dumping heavy rain and severe winds in the northern Philippines. The Philippine State Weather Bureau said Saola maintained its strength on Wednesday as it moved west-northwestward at 15 km per hour over the northernmost province of Batanes, packing sustained winds of 195 km per hour and gusts of up to 240 km per hour. (IANS)