29 dead, 16 missing after flood hits China’s Hebei

Hebei (China): At least 29 people have been killed after floods hit China’s Hebei province, while 16 people still remained unaccounted for, local authorities said on Friday.

Torrential downpours and severe flooding have wreaked havoc across 110 counties, cities and districts in the province, reports Xinhua news agency.

Infrastructure including transportation, power, communication and water facilities in the disaster-stricken areas suffered damage.

The province had incurred a direct economic loss of 95.81 billion yuan ($13.38 billion), and the overall extent of the disaster was still being assessed and verified.

As of Thursday, the flooding had affected an estimated 3.89 million people.

A total of 319,700 hectares of crops had been affected, with 131,500 hectares demolished.

Residential areas also suffered losses, with 40,900 houses having collapsed, while 155,500 houses were severely damaged.

A total of 1,150 primary and secondary schools, along with kindergartens, also suffered damages.