Rain-triggered floods leave 19 dead in Inner Mongolia

Rain-triggered floods in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region have killed 19 people and inflicted direct economic losses of 650 million yuan (102 million U.S. dollars) as of Wednesday, local authorities said.

Nearly 8,000 residents have been forced to relocate as a result of the storms, according to the regional civil affairs department.

Over 1,103 houses have collapsed and 2,358 houses have been seriously damaged due to the storms, which have swept the region since May.

In central China's Hunan province, persistent torrential rains have left two people dead, another two missing and affected more than a million others over the past few days, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Heavy rains battered the province in late June, leaving 322 townships in 28 counties and cities affected. A total of 18,940 people were forced to relocate, while 53,100 hectares of crops were damaged and 1,157 houses were toppled, the headquarters said on Wednesday.