6 Dead in China as Rain Triggers Landslides, House Collapse

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, water flows out from a gate of the Shuikou Hydropower Station in southeastern China's Fujian Province, Monday, June 13, 2022. (Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, water flows out from a gate of the Shuikou Hydropower Station in southeastern China's Fujian Province, Monday, June 13, 2022. (Xinhua via AP)
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6 Dead in China as Rain Triggers Landslides, House Collapse

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, water flows out from a gate of the Shuikou Hydropower Station in southeastern China's Fujian Province, Monday, June 13, 2022. (Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, water flows out from a gate of the Shuikou Hydropower Station in southeastern China's Fujian Province, Monday, June 13, 2022. (Xinhua via AP)

Heavy rain in China has claimed six lives this week and forced the evacuation of some 200,000 people.

Five people died in southeastern China, according to state media reports: A house collapse took three lives in Fujian province on Tuesday, and two died Monday in a landslide caused by torrential rain in neighboring Jiangxi province.

One person died and three are missing in northern China after a vehicle fell into the water in mountain flooding from heavy rain in the Inner Mongolia region.

China regularly experiences seasonal rains and flooding during the summer, most frequently in central and southern areas.

Video on state broadcaster CCTV showed large parts of cities flooded in muddy waters. Rescue workers carried trapped people out of buildings on their backs in waist-deep water in Guangdong province, also in the southeast.

The rain ended Wednesday in Jiangxi, but more precipitation is forecast for another week in Fujian, Jiangxi and Guangdong and the nearby Guangxi region. The National Meteorological Center said residents should prepare for floods and landslides as the soil is already saturated in those areas.

More than 110,000 people have been relocated in Jiangxi province, along with more than 80,000 in Fujian, state media reports said.

Seventeen people died last week in rain-related disasters in Guangxi and in Hunan province in central China.



Seven EU Countries Call on Venezuela to Publish Electoral Rolls Quickly

Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro attend a demonstration called by opposition leader Maria Corina Machado over the presidential election disputed results, in Caracas on August 3, 2024. (AFP)
Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro attend a demonstration called by opposition leader Maria Corina Machado over the presidential election disputed results, in Caracas on August 3, 2024. (AFP)
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Seven EU Countries Call on Venezuela to Publish Electoral Rolls Quickly

Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro attend a demonstration called by opposition leader Maria Corina Machado over the presidential election disputed results, in Caracas on August 3, 2024. (AFP)
Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro attend a demonstration called by opposition leader Maria Corina Machado over the presidential election disputed results, in Caracas on August 3, 2024. (AFP)

Seven European Union countries, including Italy, France, Germany and Spain have jointly called on the Venezuelan authorities to promptly publish the electoral rolls to ensure full transparency around last weekend's election, the Italian prime minister's office said on Saturday.

Venezuela's electoral council has declared President Nicolas Maduro, in power since 2013, the winner of the July 28 election with 51% of the vote, sparking immediate accusations of fraud by the opposition. The opposition says its own detailed tally shows opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez likely received 67% of the vote.

The joint statement by the seven EU countries added to a tide of criticism from abroad over the Venezuelan government's handling of the election.

Some nations, including the United States and Argentina, have recognized Gonzalez as the election winner. Last week, G7 foreign ministers expressed their solidarity with the Venezuelan people and their concern about the election results.

"We call on the Venezuelan authorities to immediately publish all voting registers to ensure full transparency and integrity of the electoral process," said the statement by the seven EU nations, which also included Portugal, the Netherlands and Poland.

"The opposition says it has collected and published more than 80% of the electoral registers produced at each polling station. This verification is essential for the recognition of the will of the Venezuelan people".