Heavy rainstorms ravage China, leaving at least 12 dead and 3 mln affected

Heavy rainstorms that swept through most parts of China since Tuesday have left at least 12 dead, seven missing and about 3 million affected. The casualties were reported after the rainstorms and flooding killed 252 people across China in June. The new wave of rainstorms have caused suspended shipping service in the Three Gorges section of the Yangtze River, blocked traffic in cities, delayed flights, destroyed homes, and flooded farmland. Central China's Hubei Province and southwestern Yunnan Province on Saturday each reported that six were killed by the torrential rain. People use a board to block water at the door of a shop on the flooded Weiming Road in Cangzhou City, north China's Hebei Province, July 5, 2008. Heavy rainfall hit Cangzhou on Saturday. (Xinhua/Fu Xinchun) Twenty-five cities and counties in Hubei, where the... [read full story]