It's been confirmed that as of Sunday, 11 people were dead and six others were missing in floods, hailstorms, landslides and other natural disasters which have hit southwest China's Yunnan Province since June 20.

 

The disasters also left 22 people injured, including nine in a serious condition, according to flood control headquarters of Zhaotong City.

 

Rainstorms have hit 11 counties and districts of Zhaotong City since June 20 and they've affected 523,100 people. Rainstorms, the floods which followed and other natural disasters damaged more than 26,000 hectares of cropland, over 6,100 houses and flattened 701 homes in these areas.

 

The city government of Zhaotong has allocated an emergency aid of 1.1 million yuan (about US$137,000) for disaster relief in affected areas.

 

Currently all the injured have been hospitalized and those affected are being fed and sheltered.

 

Local governments have sent police and staff from government departments to help local people rebuild their homes and resume farm production. The search for missing people continues. 

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2006)