Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency says 15 people have been killed and four others missing due to several days of torrential rains in southwest China.
The fatalities happened in the city of Chongqing, where the rains have triggered massive floods that have forced scores of people from their flooded homes and washed away cars and bridges. Xinhua news agency says the rains and floods have disrupted the lives of more than 130,000 people.
President Xi Jingping has ordered that authorities at all levels of government give top priority to “ensuring people’s safety and property,” according to Xinhua. The finance ministry has allocated more than $44 million in disaster relief funds for Chongqing and neighboring areas.
Many areas of China have been plagued by torrential rains and mudslides in recent weeks, along with temperatures soaring past 35 degrees Celsius,