Yangtze floods force millions from their homes in central China

An aerial view shows flooded residential buildings due to rising water levels of the Yangtze river in Jiujiang, China's central Jiangxi province, on Saturday (July 18). Heavy rains since June have left at least 141 people dead and missing, forced nearly 15 million people to be evacuated from their homes in July alone, and caused billions of dollars in economic losses, according to the government. - AFP

JIUJIANG, China, July 18, 2020 (AFP): Vast swathes of China have been inundated by the worst flooding in decades along the mighty Yangtze River, with residents piling into boats and makeshift rafts to escape a deluge that has collapsed flood defences and turned their homes into waterways.

Heavy rains since June have left at least 141 people dead and missing, forced nearly 15 million people to be evacuated from their homes in July alone, and caused billions of dollars in economic losses, according to the government.