333 people killed in floods since July 14
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A total of 333 people have been killed in rainstorms and floods across China since July 14 while 300 others were still missing, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Tuesday.
Rainstorms have been lashing provinces including Shaanxi, Sichuan and Henan, triggering floods and landslides, resulting in heavy losses of life and property, a ministry spokesman said.
Many houses had collapsed or been damaged, while traffic was at a standstill, and telecommunication and power down in some county seats, the spokesman added.
As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, the rainstorms and floods had affected more than 40 million people, destroyed 140,000 homes and 417,000 hectares of crops, and led to the relocation of 3.1 million people.
Direct economic losses from the rainstorms and floods were estimated to be 52.7 billion yuan (7.78 billion U.S. dollars).
The National Disaster Reduction Commission and the Ministry of Civil Affairs have sent 17 work teams to the affected regions to help with disaster relief, while local governments were ordered to spare no effort in safeguarding the lives and properties of their people.
The ministry has sent 36,000 tents, 120,000 quilts and 13,000 folding beds, among other things, to the affected areas.
The ministries of finance and civil affairs have also allocated 1.1 billion yuan to help people living in disaster-hit areas with basic living expenses since the beginning of this month.
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