Heavy rain kills 28 in south and southwest China in four days

BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Floods caused by heavy rain have killed 28 people in four days, leaving another 16 missing, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Monday.

From late Thursday till Monday 9 p.m., the rain forced 504,000 to relocate in provinces including Anhui, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan and Zhejiang. A total of 186,000 needed emergency living assistance.

Nearly 6,500 houses collapsed and 60,000 were damaged. About 468,800 hectares of farmland was flooded and 45,200 hectares of crops were destroyed.

Direct economic losses were estimated at 9.46 billion yuan (1.38 billion U.S. dollars).