Floods and landslides caused by torrential rains have left at least 143 people dead and more than 50 others missing in southwest China's Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality.

The Sichuan provincial disaster relief office confirmed 89 people dead and 41 missing by 6:30 PM Tuesday. In Kaixian County alone, the hardest-hit area under Chongqing's administration, the death toll jumped to 54, with 16 missing and more than 550 injured.

Landslides and flash floods sweeping through mountain valleys caused most of the deaths. Accurate casualty information has been delayed because communication facilities were severely damaged in the mountainous areas, according to local flood control offices.

The five-day-long downpour has affected 11.3 million local residents and flooded 412,000 hectares of cropland. The direct economic losses are estimated to exceed 3.9 billion yuan (US$470.0 million).

"This is the most severe natural disaster to strike the country except for Typhoon Rananim, which killed at least 164 in eastern Zhejiang Province in mid-August," said Zhang Zhitong, deputy director of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

Continued bad weather over the past two days has created challenges for rescue teams, especially in the mountainous areas, where numerous landslides have destroyed many roads. In Dazhou City, Sichuan, more than 6,000 people remained stranded in their flood-besieged houses.

Facing a catastrophe of "once in a century" proportions, the governments of Sichuan and Chongqing have been working to minimize losses, promising to provide all the victims with adequate food, drink and shelter.

The central government allocated 40 million yuan (US$4.8 million) in emergency funds to Chongqing and Sichuan on Monday. The Chongqing municipal government also raised 12 million yuan (US$1.5 million) to provide shelter for local residents and restore transportation and telecommunication.

On Tuesday afternoon, a task force comprising officials from the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and ministries of civil affairs, finance and land and resources arrived in Dazhou to oversee rescue and relief operations.

Dazhou has raised 15 million yuan (US$1.8 million) so far to rebuild homes, but one local government official said, "We still need more financial support."

More than 5,000 armed police have participated in rescue operations. Zhang Jun, a 19-year-old armed police officer, drowned while helping villagers evacuate in Chongqing.

In the county seat of Kaixian, floodwaters have almost receded and more than 200 medical workers started a three-day disinfection of the flooded areas on Tuesday. The local health department has also set up 18 stations across the county to monitor possible outbreaks of epidemic diseases.

The county also established six medical service stations to provide free treatment to local residents.

After three days of work, electricity had been restored to nearly all the flood-stricken areas in Kaixian. The water supply is expected to be fully restored on Wednesday.

Local residents are busy cleaning their houses and the trash left in the streets. Some stores and produce markets have reopened. Public service announcement vehicles are circling the county, warning residents to take safety precautions when using home appliances.

Local insurance companies have started to pay compensation for losses. "Private business operators who have not bought property insurance will be entitled to preferential policies, including tax reduction or exemption," said Cheng Yuanhui, the acting chief of Kaixian County.

According to the local meteorological administration, moderate rain will continue in most areas around Chongqing, and with torrential rain hitting some sectors.

"We must not be caught off guard," said Wang Hongju, mayor of Chongqing Municipality.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2004)