Floods have caused two more deaths in central and southwestern China, bringing the death toll to 38, a spokesman with the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) said late Wednesday.

Another 15 people were missing as of 5 PM Wednesday.

Heavy rains have swept central Hubei Province and southwestern Chongqing Municipality, Sichuan Province and Guizhou Province since Saturday, triggering landslides and mudflows.

About 9.4 million people have been affected and 337,000 relocated as a result of the disaster, the spokesman said.

Heavy rains also deluged croplands, blocked roads, and cut off telecommunications, electricity and drinking water supplies in some areas.

More than 17,000 homes were destroyed and crops on 496,100 hectares of farmland were affected. Agricultural losses stood at 1 billion yuan (about US$130 million) while total losses stood at 1.45 billion yuan.

The MCA has allocated 1,000 tents for disaster areas in Hubei.

(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2007)