Continuous heavy rain caused by tropical storm Fung Wong since Thursday has left two people dead and 1.6 million people's livelihoods affected in east China's Anhui Province, according to the provincial flood control headquarters on Saturday.

The rainstorm triggered a landslide in Shuihou Town in Qianshan County, where two people died after their houses collapsed, a spokesman of the provincial flood control headquarters said.

Two embankments in Chuzhou and Chaohu cities burst on Saturday, but no casualties were reported. More than 20,000 people, including police personnel, were repairing the damaged embanks.

In Chuzhou, where water measured more than 0.5 meter deep in downtown streets, half of the city was flooded and gas supply was once cut off.

Some enterprises in the city's industrial park could barely continue operation due to the flood.

According to the latest figure of the headquarters, 2,860 houses collapsed and 13,753 others were damaged in the province. A total of 47,950 people were forced to be evacuated. Crops were destroyed on 108,138 hectares of farmland.

The disaster has caused a direct economic loss of 164 million yuan (24.1 million U.S. dollars), according to the provincial civil affairs bureau.

(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2008)