China flood: 76 dead, many missing
BEIJING, China -- Torrential floods in southwest China have killed at least 76 people and officials have called on the military to help rescue scores of people trapped by the flooding.
China's state-run Xinhua news agency on Monday reported that 52 people were missing in the southwestern province of Sichuan after days of heavy rains that triggered flooding and landslides
The rainstorms, described as the "most destructive in the province so far this year" have soaked Dazhou, Nanchong and Bazhong cities since Thursday.
Hundreds of people were trapped after rains sparked flash floods, landslides and mud and rock flows in the northeastern part of the province, Xinhua said, citing provincial disaster relief officials.
Most of the dead were killed when mudslides buried their homes, Chinese news reports said.
The hard-hit downtown area of Dazhou city, where more than 250,000 people live, was cut off after floods caused cave-ins on urban roads and destroyed highways, Xinhua reported.
"We've never seen such heavy flooding," Reuters quoted a Dazhou government official as saying on Monday.
In the Nanwai township, roads were submerged by one-meter (3 feet) deep water, with emergency crews rushed in to evacuate residents.
Provincial officials have asked the air force and navy for help. But poor accessibility is hampering efforts to reach people scattered in the foothills and mountainous areas.
The death toll had risen sharply from reports early on Sunday and a provincial meteorologist has said the rains are expected to continue through Tuesday.
The flooded area is about 1,125 kilometers (700 miles) southwest of Beijing.
Serious flooding plagues central and southern China every year. The latest fatalities bring the number of deaths reported in this year's summer rains to more than 500.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
