At least 15 people have died in China’s northern province of Shanxi due to heavy rainfall and flooding. The natural disaster destroyed thousands of homes and forced more than 120,000 people to relocate to safer areas. Officials stated that at least 1.75 million people have been affected by the flooding this year, which has caused at least 19,500 houses to collapse and damaged an additional 18,200 homes. Three people involved in the latest flood remain missing. The Shanxi province experienced the worst flooding this month since records began, according to meteorological official Wang Wenyi. The province’s average rainfall in October has been 13 times that of the same period in a normal year.
The heavy rainfall and floods have led to an estimated direct economic loss of more than $775 in the province. The heavy rain also forced 60 coal mines located in the province to close down, according to a statement released on Saturday by the provincial government’s Emergency Management Bureau. Shanxi accounts for a quarter of China’s coal production, making it the country’s largest coal mining hub.
Read More: At least 15 dead after heavy rainfall and flooding in northern China
