Flash floods kill 7, leaves child missing in northwestern China

Flash floods triggered by heavy downpours have claimed seven lives and left a child missing in China’s northwestern province of Shaanxi, officials say.

Local officials said Wednesday that heavy rain caused two rivers to overflow their banks in Ansai County of the Yan’an city on Monday evening, inundating a major provincial highway and devouring five cars.

It went on to say that over 400 people have been involved in a search and rescue mission over the last two days, adding that rescue workers are trying to find the five-year-old child.

According to local police, passengers of two of the drowned vehicles managed to escape the raging floods, but people in the three other cars lost their lives at the scene.

They added that the bodies of the dead were pulled from a rushing river on Tuesday morning and the five swept-away vehicles have been salvaged from the waterway.

Back in April, flash floods, caused by heavy rain, also killed at least 24 people and left 72 others missing in the country’s northern province of Hebei.

SS