BEIJING, July 23 (Reuters) – Five people died and two were missing after heavy rains burst their banks in a village near the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Saturday, flooding homes and carrying away people and their belongings, state media reported.
Muddy water rushed through the streets of a village in Dayuan Township, splashing into houses and overturning cars, pictures published by the Beijing Youth Daily showed.
China usually sees heavy rains by the end of July, but storms have become more intense and unpredictable in recent years.
Torrential rains inundated parts of northeastern China on Saturday, damaging dozens of homes and destroying crops in what is known as the country’s breadbasket.
Authorities evacuated about 5,600 people in Liaoning province after more than 100mm of rain fell in several cities, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
A district in the provincial capital Dalian received 93 millimeters of rain in one hour.
CCTV footage released showed rescue workers wading through knee-deep water with inflatable dinghies.
54 hectares of crops were damaged in Jinzhou and the coastal city of Huludao.
The agriculture ministry said on Friday that parts of the northeastern states were affected by drought in May and June, but the recent rains have eased the situation.
It added that this year’s El Niño weather pattern is likely to bring more extreme weather for local crops – mainly corn and soybeans.
More heavy rain is expected over most of the country on Sunday, with rain storms and strong winds in parts of northeastern, southern Jiangxi and Fujian provinces.
Reporting by Amy Lwee and Dominic Patton; Editing by Jacqueline Wong
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