Thousands flee as NW China river bursts banks
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Thousands of people were forced to flee their homes early Saturday as the Luofu River in northwest China burst its banks, but no casualties have been reported, say local authorities.
More than 500 people were battling to repair a 50-meter breach in the riverbank at Huayin City, Shaanxi Province, said a spokesman with Weinan City government, which administers Huayin.
He said 6,404 people from 1,587 households had been evacuated before the breach.
River inspectors noticed the fast-rising water level in the Luofu, a tributary of the Weihe River, and alerted Huayin flood control officials at around 3 a.m., he said.
Torrential rains pounded Huayin City from 8 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday.
Floods in China this year had left 742 people dead and 367 missing as of Friday, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.
Floods have hit 28 provinces, regions and municipalities, affecting 120 million people and swamping 7.6 million hectares of crops, according to the headquarters.
They have destroyed 670,000 homes and resulted in direct economic losses of 152.4 billion yuan (22.51 billion U.S. dollars).
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