Rainstorms continuing for 6 days in central China's Hunan Province have so far killed 28 people and caused 27 missing, according to Friday statistics of the province's Department of Civil Affairs.

Meanwhile, the nearly week-long rainstorms have caused the evacuation of nearly 180,000 residents, damaged lots of houses and374,000 hectares of crops, and disrupted power supply and communications. Direct economic losses reached 2.99 billion yuan (about 360.24 million US dollars), according to the tally.

Local rescue teams have rushed emergency relief materials, including tents and cotton-padded quilts, to the disaster areas.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Finance have approved an appropriation of 12 million yuan (about 1.45 million dollars) as emergency relief funds to the disaster areas.

Chinese vice-premier Hui Liangyu asked relevant departments to properly handle the relocation of people, ensure their safety and alleviate their losses. He also urged paying close attention to flood situations in all areas of the country, which has entered the major flood season.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has started the level-four disaster response mechanism. A working group made up of personnel from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Construction and the China Meteorological Administration has been sent to the disaster areas.

A forecast of the China Meteorological Administration says the disaster areas will be basically free from heavy rainfall in the coming ten days.

Source: Xinhua