Beijing, Jul 20 (IANS): Rainstorms have killed 18 people and left another missing in China's Guizhou province in the last 10 days, said authorities.
Torrential rains have triggered floods, mudslides and landslides in mountainous regions, Xinhua quoted the Civil Affairs Bureau of Guizhou as saying.
According to statistics released by the bureau, over 2.30 million people in 69 counties, cities and districts across the province have been affected by the heavy rains. A total of 89,600 hectares of crops have been damaged and 1,172 houses have collapsed.
The rains have caused estimated direct economic losses of about 1.40 billion yuan (over $215 million), it said.
Meteorological stations have predicted that the rains will continue upto July 24.