Flooding in China: 15 killed while 2 million people affected

According to state media at least 15 people have been reported killed, and three others remain missing after continuous and heavy rainfall triggered floods in northern China's Shanxi province, one of the country's top coal-producing areas.

On Tuesday, the state-run Global Times reported that at least 1.75 million people were affected by the floods, and as many as 120,000 were displaced after 19,500 homes "collapsed".

The report did not say which region in Shanxi was worst affected. The province is located west of Beijing and covers about 156,000sq km (60,000sq miles).

The initial direct economic loss is estimated at at least $ 770m, the report says.

The Xinhua news agency said the emergency response had already been slowed, indicating that the situation had stabilized, with water levels of small and medium-sized rivers marked below the warning.

The floods come just months after record floods hit the country's central Henan province in July - killing more than 300 people - and sparking fears about the supply of energy before winter. [caption id="attachment_38152" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Flooding in China[/caption]

According to the local administration, many parts of Shanxi, a confined province with generally dry weather, have seen record-breaking rains in the past week, which has ordered coal mines to take flood measures and make emergency plans "immediately in case of major danger".

According to a local administration statement, at least 60 coal mines in the province were suspended due to the floods, even though the country faces a power supply crisis.

Beijing recently ordered coal mines to increase production costs and guarantee supply and said it would allow higher electricity prices in an offer to boost generation.

China has been hit by widespread power cuts in record coal prices, government power price controls and hard-hitting emissions targets that have squeezed power supplies.

Xinhua previously reported that Shanxi received more than three times the average monthly rainfall for October in just five days last week.

According to the Provincial Meteorological Office, the average rainfall in the province reached 119.5mm (4.7 inches) between October 2nd and 7th.

An estimated 190,000 hectares (470,000 hectares) of fruit were also destroyed, the local Communist Party newspaper Shanxi Evening News reported by the AFP news agency.

Video footage released by Shanxi Evening News shows rescue services drowning in dark water and swimming on rafts across flooded urban roads. Railroad tracks suspended over the water after part of the bridge collapsed.