China: Torrential Rain Collapses 6000 Buildings, 150,000 Flee

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

In three days over 8 inches of rain accumulated on the flat roofs of buildings in Southern China's Jiangxi Province causing over 6,000 buildings and homes to collapse under the enormous weight.

Over 150,000 citizens have fled the area while troops struggled to contain a breach from a flood diversion tunnel at the base of the Kama Dam in Luocheng County, Guangxi. A 44 foot long section gave way under the weight of the water and a nearby hillside was also in danger of collapsing. Local officials ordered more than 7,500 locals living downstream to flee, fearing the dam might crack.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao issued orders to local authorities to "ensure the safety of the public", and by Saturday afternoon the danger was receding, but forecasters in Guangxi have said that torrential rain was likely to hit parts of the region again on Sunday.

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