Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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Heavy Rains, Floods Kill 15 Residents in Southwest China

by VOA News

   Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency says 15 people have been killed
   and four others missing due to several days of torrential rains in
   southwest China.

   The fatalities happened in the city of Chongqing, where the rains have
   triggered massive floods that have forced scores of people from their
   flooded homes and washed away cars and bridges. Xinhua news agency says
   the rains and floods have disrupted the lives of more than 130,000
   people.

   President Xi Jingping has ordered that authorities at all levels of
   government give top priority to "ensuring people's safety and
   property," according to Xinhua. The finance ministry has allocated more
   than $44 million in disaster relief funds for Chongqing and neighboring
   areas.

   Many areas of China have been plagued by torrential rains and mudslides
   in recent weeks, along with temperatures soaring past 35 degrees
   Celsius,

   Some information for this report came from Reuters, Agence
   France-Presse.