HEFEI -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Wednesday visited families of those who died fighting floods in east China's Anhui Province.

Xi consoled the family members of three deceased persons when he visited a floodwater diversion zone in the county of Feidong.

Xi told them that their lost loved ones are heroes and deserve respect from everyone.

"Every time a calamity occurs, heroes charge forward. This embodies the great spirit of the Chinese nation," Xi said, asking the family members to take good care of themselves.

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