Heavy Rainstorms Kill 11 People, Leave 14 Missing in Northeastern Chinese City

 In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers walk across a river after delivering relief items to affected people on the other bank in Heishanke Township, Huludao City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Yang Qing/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers walk across a river after delivering relief items to affected people on the other bank in Heishanke Township, Huludao City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Yang Qing/Xinhua via AP)
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Heavy Rainstorms Kill 11 People, Leave 14 Missing in Northeastern Chinese City

 In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers walk across a river after delivering relief items to affected people on the other bank in Heishanke Township, Huludao City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Yang Qing/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers walk across a river after delivering relief items to affected people on the other bank in Heishanke Township, Huludao City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Yang Qing/Xinhua via AP)

Heavy rainstorms that swept a city in northeast China this week killed 11 people and left 14 others missing, while causing more than $1 billion in damages, state media reported Friday.

State broadcaster CCTV said an officer who was trying to save lives was one of the people who died in the city of Huludao in Liaoning province. Rescuers were still trying to find the people who went missing during the “historically rare” destructive rainfall, it said. An image from the broadcaster showed roads seriously flooded.

According to preliminary estimates, 188,800 people were affected by the natural disaster, with losses amounting to 10.3 billion yuan (about $1.4 billion), officials announced. A large number of roads, bridges and cables were damaged.

CCTV said the maximum daily rainfall recorded was 52.8 centimeters (nearly 21 inches), breaking the provincial record. The hardest-hit parts of the city experienced a year’s worth of rain in just half a day, and overall it was the strongest rainfall in Huludao since meteorological records began in 1951, it said.

The Chinese government allocated a fund of 50 million yuan ($7 million) to support disaster relief efforts.

China was in the middle of its peak flood season over the past month. Chinese policymakers have repeatedly warned that the government needs to step up disaster preparations as severe weather becomes more common.

Landslides and flooding have killed more than 150 people around China in the past two months as torrential rainstorms battered the region.



Germany, France and UK Ready to Hold Talks with Iran, Says German Minister

 14 June 2025, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: Johann Wadephul, Germany's Foreign Minister, speaks at a press conference in the residence of the German ambassador in Riyadh. (dpa)
14 June 2025, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: Johann Wadephul, Germany's Foreign Minister, speaks at a press conference in the residence of the German ambassador in Riyadh. (dpa)
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Germany, France and UK Ready to Hold Talks with Iran, Says German Minister

 14 June 2025, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: Johann Wadephul, Germany's Foreign Minister, speaks at a press conference in the residence of the German ambassador in Riyadh. (dpa)
14 June 2025, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: Johann Wadephul, Germany's Foreign Minister, speaks at a press conference in the residence of the German ambassador in Riyadh. (dpa)

Germany, France and Britain are ready to hold immediate talks with Iran over Tehran's nuclear program in an effort to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.

Wadephul, who is on a visit to the Middle East, said he was trying to contribute towards a de-escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran, noting that Tehran had previously failed to take the opportunity of constructive talks.

"I hope that's still possible," Wadephul told German public broadcaster ARD late on Saturday. "Germany, together with France and Britain are ready. We're offering Iran immediate negotiations about the nuclear program, I hope (the offer) is accepted."

"This is also a key prerequisite for reaching a pacification of this conflict, that Iran presents no danger to the region, for the state of Israel or to Europe."

Wadephul, who is in Oman on Sunday, said the conflict would be ended only when influence is exerted on Iran and Israel from all sides.

"There's a shared expectation that within the next week, a serious attempt must be made on both sides to interrupt the spiral of violence," he said.

When asked whether he believed the Iranian government could fall, Wadephul said his assumption was that it was not Israel's intention to bring down the administration in Tehran.

Turning to Gaza, Wadephul said the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave was unacceptable and urged Israel to allow unrestricted access to aid organizations.

"The hunger, the dying, the suffering of the people in Gaza must come to an end," he said, adding that Hamas was to blame for the conflict and that the group must release hostages held since Hamas-led fighters raided Israel in October 2023.