At least 28 dead after heavy rain, floods in northern China

Gulf Today Report

Chinese authorities confirmed on Tuesday 13 people had died after a bus plunged into a rushing river amid heavy flooding that has caused 15 other fatalities in north China's Shanxi province earlier this month.

After the normally dry region received three months' rain in one week the flooding hit the coal-rich landlocked region during a nationwide energy crunch, and after record floods killed more than 300 people in central Henan province in July, local officials said on Tuesday.

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State broadcaster CCTV said another 37 people from the bus had been rescued, among which seven were hospitalized, and the driver had been placed in custody. One person remained missing.

This aerial photo shows a flooded area after heavy rainfall in Jiexiu, China. AFP

At least 60 coal mines in the province -- one of China's top coal-producing regions -- had temporarily closed due to the floods, but now all but four have returned to normal operation, local emergency management official Wang Qirui said at a press conference.

The crash occurred Monday after heavy rains caused flooding that destroyed homes and covered farmland in two provinces near the national capital Beijing.

Wang said around 19,000 buildings were destroyed by the extreme weather, with 18,000 others "seriously damaged".

Rescue workers drain off flood waters after heavy rainfall at a flooded area in Jiexiu, China. AFP

"Fifteen people died due to the disaster, and three people remain missing," he added.

The floods, have affected at least 1.75 million residents across the province with 120,000 safely evacuated, according to Wang.

Several regions across China have been hit by unprecedented flooding this year.

Thousands were evacuated in the Hubei and Sichuan provinces this summer because of torrential rain.

Rescuer workers fortify a temporary dyke against the flooding at the Lianbo Village in Hejin City, China. AP

And more than 300 people were killed in central China's Henan province last month after record downpours -- a year's worth of rain in three days.

Experts say freak weather events such as heavy floods and punishing droughts are becoming increasingly common because of climate change.