22 dead, 200,000 displaced as floods hit south China

By Mahmut Atanur

BEIJING (AA) – At least 22 people have been confirmed dead after floods, landslides and mug flows swept across southern China, leaving almost 200,000 others displaced.

The ministry of civil affairs announced Monday that 20 people still remain missing since heavy rains began Saturday, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Around 3.7 million residents have been affected in seven provinces -- including Hubei and Sichuan -- where more than 2,400 houses and approximately 20,900 hectares of crops were reportedly destroyed.

The ministry estimated that the destructive conditions resulted in direct economic losses of 2.68 billion yuan ($407.9 million).

Meanwhile, the northwestern Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region was also hit by rough weather conditions including floods and hailstorms that left two people dead, one missing and 13,000 displaced.