Flooding and landslides for quake-hit southwest China by Matt Taylor
Heavy rain has led to flash floods and landslides in China’s Sichuan province.
The storm, which first hit on Wednesday, has cut off 20,000 people in five towns in Jiangyou, as roads became impassable. In May, earlier this year, the region was devastated by an earthquake of magnitude 8, killing thousands of people.
The storm has been hampering earthquake repair efforts, in the area where thousands of survivors are still living in tents and pre-fabricated houses.
The torrential rain triggered by an area of low pressure tracking westwards across the southwest of the country, has claimed the lives of more than 7 people.
This is the second storm to have hit China this week, as the remnants of Typhoon Hagupit ploughed into southern Guangdong on Wednesday, bringing further very heavy rain and strong winds.
The country is currently affected by the annual summer monsoon, where warm, moist air from the seas in the south and east meets cold air in the north, resulting in abundant rainfall. Sichuan province receives around 80 percent of its annual rainfall during these monsoon which runs from May to October.
