Eight persons have been killed and four missing as floods caused by heavy rain hit east China's Shandong Province in the past week, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Wednesday.

The gust caused terrifying waves to surge up in Yantai, Shandong Province, on August 12.

Heavy rains have poured down in 12 cities including Jinan, Qingdao, Yantai and Weihai in Shandong Province since August 9, and some places were hit by tornado.

The ministry has sent rescue teams to the flood-affected areas.

More than 2.51 million people were affected by the floods and some 122,000 people have been evacuated, according to the ministry.

The floods have destroyed 182,000 hectares of farmland and toppled down more than 5,500 houses in the province, said the ministry.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2007)