Over 140 killed by flood in China as Yangtze River bursts banks (Photos)

Flooding in China have cost hundreds of millions of dollars as Hubei province, which was badly affected by the coronavirus outbreak, has seen some of the worst flooding around the Yangtze.

The Yangtze River region saw its second-highest day of rainfall in over 50 years, authorities said Monday as deadly flooding affected much of China.

Some 28,000 homes have been damaged and 141 people have died or are missing since the floods began last month.

Hubei province, where Wuhan is located, is particularly severely affected as the Yangtze flows through the province. Wuhan was the epicenter of China’s coronavirus outbreak and experienced one of the country’s longest lockdowns.

Flooding has been a major threat to much of central China for centuries, but experts say the widespread construction of dams in recent decades have cut off connections between rivers, lakes and floodplains and have increased risk of flooding.

The rapid melting of the Himalayan glaciers due to climate change may also be a cause of more dangerous summer flooding.