11 dead, 13 missing in central China floods

Flooding in central China’s Sichuan province has left at least 11 people dead and 13 others missing, and disrupted the lives of more than half a million.

State media said on Thursday that heavy rains and flooding struck the province beginning Sunday. The worst-hit was Xuyong county, where mud and debris filled streets up to the second floor of some buildings.

Mudslides also destroyed dozens of homes and cut power and communications to the area, which lies in a flood plain at the base of steep mountains.

Seasonal flooding

Seasonal flooding is a major problem in many parts of the vast country. The worst floods in recent history struck in 1998, killing 4,150 people, most of them along the Yangtze River, China’s mightiest.