Crash of Swiss Air flight off the Coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, September 3, 1998

More than sisty days of rains caused devestating flooding in July and August 1998 in central and north eastern China along the banks of the Yangtze, Nenjunag and Songhuajiang rivers. An estimated 223 million people were affected of whom some 15.85 million were forced to evacuate their homes and seek temporary shelter.

The floods began when the monsoon trains triggered flash floods in the north in June. Torrential rains in July brought on further floods trhought the south-east. According to the government statistics, large areas in 51 of the country's 64 districts were inundated, affected more than 30 million people. The floods caused death, destruction and immense damage to life, property and assets, straining the entire country economy.