Massive flooding around the world brings misery to millions (Photos)

August 8, 2010 - Millions of people around the world are in misery as they watch homes and lives destroyed by massive flooding. Many have been stranded, are without food, have been injured, remain missing, and have died.

China

At least 127 have died in northwestern China due to flooding. More than 40,000 people have been moved from their homes in the Chinese border city of Dandong and an estimated 1,300 are missing.

Landslides struck after heavy rains in China late Saturday, causing the Bailong River to burst its banks. The devastation was worsened when rocks, mud, and water came crashing in on the town when a river was blocked upstream.

Explosive experts were flying to the scene by helicopter to demolish the blockage and safely release potential flood waters ahead of more rain forecast through Wednesday.

China Central Television said 45,000 people have been evacuated and that the region’s remote mountainous location was hindering the emergency response. Rescuers were forced to rely on shovels, picks, and buckets because narrow roads prevented them from moving heavy equipment.

More than 1,000 people have died in China due to flooding this year. The floods have caused tens of billions of dollars in damage across 28 provinces and regions.

Pakistan

Rescue workers and armed forces continued rescue operations evacuating thousands in Pakistan’s heartland province of Sindh.

Deadly flooding across Pakistan has claimed the lives of more than 1,300 people and has forced hundreds of thousands from their homes in what is reported as the country’s worst floods since 1929.

Aid workers estimate between 3,000 to 4,000 Pakistanis have been affected by the flooding and face food shortages.

India

Five hundred people are still missing in Kasmir where floods have already killed at least 132 people and injured about 500 others.

Rescuers dug through crushed homes and piles of mud Sunday searching for the 500 people who are still missing after flash floods sent massive mudslides down remote desert mountainsides in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Five foreign tourists have been confirmed dead, though their nationalities have not been disclosed.

Until Saturday authorities had maintained no tourists had been killed. About 2,000 tourists were in the area at the time of the flooding. The flood buried homes and toppled power and telecommunication towers.

North Korea

North Korea’s state media said high waters have destroyed thousands of homes and damaged crops.

Red Cross workers in North Korea reported heavy damage by floods in the east of the country. They say buildings, bridges, and roads have been destroyed but that warning had enabled many to move to higher ground.

The Korean Central News Agency said 360 buildings, including clinics, bridges, and factories, had also been destroyed and that huge areas of farmland were rendered useless by flash floods.

There have been no reports of death or serious injuries, though information is difficult to verify outside the reclusive state.

Germany

Cars were submerged in the swollen Neisse River Sunday in Goerlitz, Germany, where flash floods in the Ore Mountains region of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Initial reports stated seven people died in those floods.

Financial Times reported that 11 people have been killed by flooding that hit Poland, the Czech Republic, and eastern Germany.

A firefighter in Germany was swept away to his death as he worked to strengthen a flood barrier.

The army, police, and firefighters were working in all three countries with boats, trucks, and helicopters to evacuate hundreds of people and to clear blocked roadways. On Sunday trucks with food arrived in Bogatynia after dramatic appeals for help by the mayor.

Sources:
BBC News - China
Associated Press - Asia
Associated Press - India
Financial Times - Germany