Rain-triggered landslides, floods kill 17 in Ecuador

Devastating landslides and floods triggered by heavy downpours that have battered Ecuador since Sunday have killed at least 17 people, with five more reported missing and 1,400 others affected by the disaster.

The Ecuadorian Secretariat for Risk Management reported 79 rain-related disasters in 13 provinces in the country on Tuesday, with the situation in Tungurahua Province, Chimborazo Province, Morona-Santiago Province and Napo Province being the most severe.

The Ecuadoran Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology reported flooding in 13 rivers and one canyon between Sunday and Tuesday.

The Ecuadorian government has dispatched firefighters to the most severely affected areas and extended the working hours of crews operating heavy machinery to clear roads and prevent further landslides.

EP Petroecuador, a state-owned oil company, has decided to close the delivery valves in some areas to avoid possible accidents in the extreme weather that could cause environmental pollution.

Forecasters say Ecuador's Amazon region is expected to be hit by heavy rain in the coming days.

Rain-triggered landslides, floods kill 17 in Ecuador

Rain-triggered landslides, floods kill 17 in Ecuador

China has always placed Nepal at an important position in its neighboring diplomacy, and is committed to building a closer China-Nepal community with a shared future, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at a meeting with Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York.

Wang said that China will continue to support Nepal in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and hopes Nepal will find a successful development path that suits its national conditions.

China's decision to grant zero-tariff treatment to 100 percent of tariff items of products from all the least developed countries having diplomatic relations with China will facilitate more Nepalese specialty products to enter China, Wang added.

For his part, Oli said Nepal firmly adheres to the one-China policy, and is committed to enhancing cooperation with China.

China committed to building closer China-Nepal community with shared future: Chinese FM

China committed to building closer China-Nepal community with shared future: Chinese FM