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China's Freak Cold Weather Killed 107 - Xinhua |
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| CHINA: February 14, 2008 | ||
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BEIJING - Freak cold and snow across the southern half of China over the past month killed 107 people and caused $15.4 billion in direct economic losses, Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday.
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The freezing weather downed power lines, triggered a series of road accidents and left millions headed home for the Lunar New Year holiday stranded. Direct economic losses from the disaster as of Tuesday stood at 111 billion yuan ($15.44 billion), Xinhua news agency said, quoting Minister of Civil Affairs Li Xueju. As power supplies and transport get back to normal, Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday warned of an "arduous task" for the hardest-hit areas to recover. "Some major power grids have yet to be repaired. The straining of coal supplies for electricity plants has not been fundamentally resolved," Wen told a cabinet meeting. "Crops in the disaster areas were ruined en masse and many people face serious livelihood difficulties," Wen said in remarks posted on the central's government Web site (www.gov.cn). Wen ordered greater coal production, stable food and petrol supplies and subsidies for spring sowing to help farmers. (US $1=7.188 Yuan) (Reporting by Guo Shipeng; Editing by Nick Macfie and Sanjeev Miglani)
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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