Floods have left 49 people dead and 23 missing in central China's Hubei Province and the southwestern Chongqing Municipality, Sichuan Province, and Guizhou Province, a spokesman for the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Friday.

About 10.27 million people had been affected and 403,000 relocated by Saturday as a result of the floods since June 15.

More than 20,000 houses were destroyed and another 59,000 damaged. Altogether 547,000 hectares of farmland were affected.

Agricultural losses stood at 1.33 billion yuan (about US$172.7 million) while the total direct economic losses stood at 1.79 billion yuan, according to the spokesman.

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

(Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2007)