Flooding affects over 6.8m in Hunan

CHANGSHA: A total of 6.86 million people were affected by rain-triggered floods this year in central China’s Hunan Province, local authorities said on Friday.
Downpours in the province have led to the deaths of 24 people, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.
Roughly 21,300 houses collapsed or were severely damaged, and about 628,000 hectares of farmlands were damaged by the heavy rains. Direct economic losses amounted to 14.63 billion yuan (about 2.14 billion U.S. dollars), according to official statistics. As of Wednesday, Hunan Province had suffered 24 incidences of heavy rainfall this year, with a cumulative rainfall of 1,299.4 mm. – Agencies