Soldiers transport sandbags to reinforce a dike in Jiejinkou of Tongjiang City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Aug. 20, 2013. Since Aug. 14, persistent downpours have caused the worst floods since 1998 in Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, also the heartland of China's grain production. By 4 p.m. Monday, 85 people were confirmed dead and 105 were missing. Some 3.74 million people have been affected, with direct economic losses totaling 16.14 billion yuan (2.6 billion U.S. dollars). (Xinhua/Wang Kai) |