Continuing extreme downpours and landslides across much of China have led to huge human and material losses. Six members of a family who fled their house on a flood-devastated lowland were found dead Saturday after the building on higher ground to which they ran for safety collapsed on them.
Rescuers found the six bodies in the rubble of the collapsed building in Fujian Province after landslides resulting from downpours in the area. Local reports indicated that the family had sought safety in the building because of its elevated site, but a landslide caused its collapse.
Heavy rains have been constant since last Sunday in parts of China, and the death toll in Guangdong, a neighbourhood of Fujian Province, had reached 47 by Friday, June 21. The fierce torrents of rain and resulting floods and landslides have caused the collapse of houses and the toppling of trees.
On Saturday, China’s National Meteorological Centre warned of more severe weather conditions, especially around the southern provinces and a few regions in the north.