BEIJING (AP) — A longer than usual summer flood season has killed 760 people and caused more than $5.6 billion in damages and lost revenue in China, the state-run news agency reported Thursday.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs, which handles disaster relief operations, said heavy rains had caused flooding across 13 provinces and regions since May, Xinhua reported.
Flooding destroyed more than 1.4 million houses and 11.6 million acres of farmland, Xinhua said. The ministry has sent $12 million in relief funds and several thousand tents to the affected areas.
Because the flood season began earlier than usual, some areas have been inundated more than once, Xinhua said. Government meteorologists have previously blamed the El Nino weather phenomenon for the flooding.