Heavy rains in China's Yangtze river basin have left 112 people dead or missing, with a typhoon expected to hit by the end of the week, raising fears of further damage. The civil affairs ministry reported that approximately 16 million people have been affected by the torrential downpours that have submerged vast areas near the Yangtze, China's longest river.
Water levels in Lake Taihu, near Shanghai, have reached their highest since 1954, according to the Beijing News. The area faces a serious risk of flooding if a typhoon strikes nearby on Friday. State media showed images of a farmer in eastern China weeping as water surrounded his 6,000 pigs, and a sports stadium in Hubei province turned into a 'giant bathtub' by the rainfall.
Flooding is common during the summer monsoon in southern China, but this year's rainfall has been exceptionally heavy. Rain is expected to move north towards the Huai river later this week. China's vice-premier, Wang Yang, warned last month that a strong El Niño effect this year would increase flood risks in the Yangtze and Huai river basins.
An El Niño effect was linked to China's worst floods in recent years, when over 4,000 people died in 1998, mostly around the Yangtze. However, a meteorologist quoted by the Beijing News said rain patterns this year are more disparate than in 1998, reducing the risk of a similar death toll. China's national observatory issued an orange alert for storms across the south and east last week, the second highest warning in a four-tier system.
Last month, at least 98 people were killed in Jiangsu province after a storm with hurricane-force winds and the worst tornado in 50 years levelled entire villages. Floods also hit south Asia this week, with 33 killed in Pakistan and 25 in India after unusually heavy rains.
