Eighty-eight people have been killed and 23 are missing as a result of heavy rain which began lashing six provinces on June 28, a spokesman with the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) said on Friday.

 

Continuous rain have triggered floods, landslides and hailstorms in China's southwest Sichuan Province, central Hubei and Henan provinces, northwest Shaanxi Province, east Anhui and Jiangsu provinces.

 

About 14.2 million people were affected and 346,500 people had been relocated by Friday afternoon. About 32,300 houses have collapsed and another 176,200 have been damaged, according to the spokesman.

 

A total of 665,200 hectares of farmland have been affected, with agricultural losses estimated at 1.56 billion yuan (about US$204 million). Total direct economic losses could reach 2.56 billion yuan.

 

Heavy rain is continuing in the six flood-stricken provinces except the northern part of Hubei Province, the spokesman said.

 

The ministry has sent work teams to the flood-stricken areas to direct disaster relief activities.

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 7, 2007)