Floods and landslides caused by heavy rains have killed around 100 people in China, dpa quoted the National Disaster Reduction Commission and media reports as saying Thursday. Some two dozen people were reported missing. The floods have affected millions of people in the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Henan, Hubei, Shandong, Shanxi, Gansu, Qinghai as well as in the metropolis of Chongqing. The Ministry of Civil Affairs has sent 22,000 tents, 70,000 quilts and 31,000 items of clothing for the victims. Floodwater in the Yangtze River has pushed up the level of the reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam in Hubei province. Authorities have been releasing water to keep the level to 164 metres, below to the maximum tolerance level at the world's largest hydroelectric plant of 175 metres. The flooding was caused by heavy rains that began on September 1.
