Floods kill 29 in northern China as new storm bears down

Severe floods in China’s northern province of Hebei brought by remnants of a typhoon killed at least 29 people and caused billions of dollars in economic losses.

Severe floods in China’s northern province of Hebei brought by remnants of a typhoon killed at least 29 people and caused billions of dollars in economic losses.

State media reported on Friday that rescue crews are still searching for 16 people missing in the storm that has brought on the most severe rainfall since records began 140 years ago.

Official news agency Xinhua reported the province’s reconstruction is expected to take two years to complete. Initial estimates showed its direct economic losses amounted to $13.2bn (95.8 billion yuan), state media China News Service said.

Preliminary estimates announced showed 3.9 million residents, or about 5 percent of the province’s population, were affected by the floods and more than 40,000 houses collapsed, it said.

A further 155,500 houses and facilities that provided electricity and communications were seriously damaged. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops were ruined in the province.

More than 1.75 million residents have been relocated.