Torrential rains and typhoons have killed 1,292 people in China so far this year and left 332 missing, with most casualties caused by rains in mountainous areas, state media reported, citing E. Jingping, vice minister of water resources. As of October 8, bad weather has caused direct economic losses of US$19 billion, destroying more than one million buildings and 16 million hectares of croplands. Floods have always been part of life in China, but officials say this year had been more devastating than most.
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