At least 26 dead as north China hit by flooding

By Mahmut Atanur

BEIJING (AA) – At least 26 people have been killed and 34 others remain missing in China's northern Hebei Province, as torrential rains continue to trigger floods across the country.

State news agency Xinhua cited local authorities Saturday as saying that an average precipitation of 545.4 mm was recorded in the province’s Jingxing County during a 19-hour period from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning.

The amount exceeded the total precipitation experienced in the county last year.

China has been swept by weeks of heavy rainfall since mid-June, with state media reporting last week that more than 230 fatalities were recorded in over 1,508 counties in 28 provinces.

According to data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, floods and geological disasters left more than 360 people dead or missing in the first six months of this year, resulting in direct economic losses of over 45.51 billion yuan ($6.8 billion).