China lightning kills record 141
Pastor Dale Morgan
China lightning kills record 141*
A rescue worker carries a resident through flood waters in Chongqing.
File photo
Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes
Lightning killed almost 150 people last month across China, the highest
number since records began in 2000, a state body has said.
According to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), 141 people
died in lightning strikes in July.
China's top meteorological official blamed global warming for the
extreme seasonal weather.
More than 700 people have died in floods in central China, while
millions of others have been hit by drought.
"Extreme weather has incurred frequent natural disasters such as
rainstorms, floods and droughts across the country this year," CMA chief
Zheng Guoguang said on Wednesday.
Heatstroke warning
In the latest incidents, about 50 people are feared dead in Shaanxi
province in the north-west, following floods triggered by heavy rain,
Xinhua news agency reported.
Twenty-three people have been confirmed dead and another 26 are missing,
the agency said, citing local government officials.
Almost 40,000 people have been evacuated and power supplies have been
cut in some areas.
Elsewhere in China, meteorologists issued their first heatstroke warning
of the year.
Forecasters said temperatures in southern China and the western Xinjiang
region could hit 40 degrees Celsius.
They urged residents to try to stay out of the sun during the hottest
parts of the day.
The warning came as the State Flood Control and Drought Relief
Headquarters warned that severe drought had left some 7.53 million
people short of drinking water.
Hardest hit were the northern provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin, and
the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, while the southern provinces of
Jiangxi, Hunan and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were also affected.
Millions of hectares of arable land have been affected, the office said.