A heavy rainstorm struck the northern part of east China's Jiangxi Province since Sunday afternoon, afflicting a total population of 740,000 in the worst-hit Jiujiang city and damaging over 2,000 houses, said the local flood control and prevention headquarters.

The cities of Jiujiang and Yichun of the province were hit the worst by the rainstorm, which received average rainfall hitting 116 mm.

About 740,000 people in Jiujiang city were affected by the rainstorm, 2,093 houses were destroyed and 36,000 hectares of farmland were flooded, with direct economic losses estimated at 120 million yuan (US$14 million).

The local authorities are organizing immediate relief work and preparing for a fiercer flooding situation.

(Xinhua News Agency June 28, 2005)