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S China flooding has claimed 175 since early June

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-20 19:38

BEIJING - The rain-triggered floods that have swept south China since early this month have left 175 dead and 86 missing, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Monday.

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Four rounds of torrential rains that have battered the region since June 3 have caused floods and landslides in the Yangtze River's downstream provinces and several southwestern and southern provinces, according to a statement from the ministry.

The disasters have affected 36.57 million people and left 1.64 million displaced in 510 counties of the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the Chongqing Municipality, the ministry said.

The direct economic loss caused by the floods has amounted to 35 billion yuan ($5.41 billion), it added.

The ministries of finance and civil affairs have allocated a total of 165 million yuan as living subsidies for individuals in the flood-hit areas, according to the statement.