Emergency response initiated for west China floods

Authorities initiated an emergency disaster relief response in the western China provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi on Friday due to floods that have caused huge losses since Sept. 6.

The National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs have sent work teams to the areas, according to a ministry statement.

The Sichuan and Shaanxi provincial civil affairs departments have allocated more than 11 million yuan (1.79 million US dollars) to fund disaster relief in the areas, in addition to sending tents, cotton sheets and food to aid the relief efforts.

Lingering rainstorms have affected a total of 1.39 million people in the two provinces and resulted in direct economic losses of 1.5 billion yuan, according to local authorities.

Two people have gone missing and one person died in the floods, local authorities said, adding that 167,000 people have been relocated due to the flooding.