国内英语新闻:At least 118 dead in south China floods: ministry

BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Rainstorms and floods sweeping through south China have left at least 118 people dead and 47 missing since July 1, said a statement on the Civil Affairs Ministry website Wednesday.

By 4 p.m. Wednesday, more than 32.3 million people in 10 southern provinces and Chongqing Municipality had been affected by continuous rainstorms and floods, the ministry said.

About 101,000 houses were destroyed and close to 1.1 million people had been relocated, it said.

Direct economic losses were estimated at 22.2 billion yuan (about 3.3 billion U.S. dollars).

In Anhui Province alone, at least four people had been confirmed dead since July 8, whereas direct economic losses amounted to 2.3 billion yuan.

The ministry had allocated 3,000 tents, 3,000 folding beds, and 20,000 quilts to Anhui.

In Hubei Province, rain-triggered floods and disasters have left 28 people dead and two others missing since July 3, the provincial civil affairs administration said Wednesday.

Rains and floods have disrupted lives of 9.24 million people, forcing more than 256,700 people to be relocated. Nearly 34,000 houses toppled and 923,700 hectares of crops were damaged, incurring 7.64 billion yuan in direct economic losses.

In Yunnan Province, at least three people were killed and more than 1,000 residents were affected after a downpour hit Hongqiao Township in Lijiang City Wednesday.