CHINA (Reuters) – Floods triggered by a continuous bout of heavy rain have killed 27 people with 8 missing in central China’s Hunan Province, local authorities announced Tuesday.
The floods have also affected over 11 million people and caused a direct economic loss of nearly 29.5 billion yuan, according to the latest data released by Hunan Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters at a press briefing.
The heavy rain, which started on June 22, has battered the entire province for 11 straight days with an average rainfall of 270 millimeters.
By 10:00 on Tuesday, more than 1,600 villages and towns across 14 cities were affected.
Preliminary verifications showed that a total of 879,600 hectares of crops were severely damaged and 38,600 houses collapsed.
According to Hunan’s flood prevention authority, a relief fund of 166 million yuan has been set up, with 120,000 quilts, over 6,000 tents and other key relief materials allocated to the affected areas.
Over 14,900 officers and soldiers have been sent to carry out emergency rescue and disaster relief work.
Rain is expected to weaken in the region in the next few days, but heavy rain is expected in some areas, according to the weather report.