Nearly 1,700 dead, missing in China floods

Terra Daily via Agence France-Presse: The number of people killed or missing in devastating floods across China so far this year has risen to nearly 1,700, the government said Wednesday, warning the situation could still get worse. Parts of southern, central and northern China have been hit by summer downpours that have caused the worst flooding in a decade, triggered deadly landslides, cut off roads, and left villages inaccessible.

"So far this year, 140 million people have been impacted in 28 flood-hit provinces, 1,072 have been killed and 619 people are missing," Shu Qingpeng, spokesman for China's flood control headquarters, said in an online briefing. Shu warned that if rain continued to pour down on disaster-hit areas "the flood-control situation would no doubt get even more severe." He added that "August and September are the months when typhoons frequently form and make landfall," which could aggravate the situation.

According to China's national meteorological centre, the northeast of the country -- already hard hit by flooding that has left more than 100 people dead or missing -- will be hit by more rain over the next 24 hours....