Heatwave strikes China

China succumbed to a heatwave on Wednesday with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius in certain areas.

In many regions – including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Henan, Shaanxi, Ningxia and Xinjiang – the temperature exceeded 35 degrees Celsius according to the National Meteorological Center.

The heatwave has worsened the drought in Sichuan province where the temperature reached 39 degrees Celsius. The drought has affected people and livestock in the region since June 17 and 20.5 million yuan (2.15 million euros) in disaster relief has been dispatched to the region.

The high temperatures have also affected Tibet, which is suffering from its worst drought in 30 years.

The drought has hit 33 counties in five of the six prefectures in Tibet, drought relief and flood control officials said.

The drought has affected 26,500 hectares and killed 13,601 heads of cattle.

Nine meteorological centers in Tibet have not seen substantial rain for 226 consecutive days according to the weather bureau.

Zhao Yiping, head of Tibet's Meteorological Bureau, said that Tibet has also been experiencing temperatures 0.4 to 2.3 degrees Celsius higher than normal.

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