CHANGSHA, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- A total of 724,100 residents have been affected by freezing rain and snow in central China's Hunan Province, local authorities said Wednesday.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the cold wave had prompted over 3,900 people to be relocated. 38,000 people are still in need of living assistance, according to the provincial emergency management department.

The rain and snow have caused 122 houses to collapse and damaged 54,280 hectares of crops, causing a direct economic loss of over 560 million yuan (81.7 million U.S. dollars), the department said.

Since December 2018, local authorities have allocated 37,000 quilts and 27,000 cotton coats to the affected. Currently, a total of 237.6 million yuan of relief funds are being distributed to the affected residents.

Provincial meteorological authorities said persisting snow had subsided as of Wednesday evening, but warned of more rainy days in the coming week between Jan. 3 and Jan. 8.

The latest round of rain and snow in Hunan has temporarily disrupted air, rail, and road traffic, which have generally returned to normal, according to the province's traffic authority.

The maglev rail line in Changsha, capital of Hunan, however, suspended operation on Wednesday pending further notice. Enditem

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