440,000 evacuated in Hainan

MORE than 440,000 people had been evacuated by Sunday as floods wreaked havoc in China's southernmost island province of Hainan, authorities said on Monday.

The floods have disrupted the lives of 2.7 million people in 16 cities and counties on the island, and the affected area accounted for 90 per cent of Hainan's total territory, Luo Baoming, governor of the province, said during a video conference on flood relief mobilisation.

The floods have also destroyed more than 3,000 houses, and damaged more than 1,400 roads and 43 reservoirs in the province. Also, over 166,700 hectares of crops have been damaged, and among these, 74,000 hectares have been destroyed, according to the provincial civil affairs department.

Nearly 100 schools were toppled, and five cities and counties were forced to suspend school for two or three days, Mr Luo said.

According to the local meteorological bureau, another round of rains is forecast to pound the island on Wednesday, which will pose more difficulties for relief work, Mr Luo added.