Beijing, Jun 16 (IANS): Torrential rains have forced the evacuation of 36,000 people in east China's Fujian province, the provincial flood control office said on Sunday.

Days of heavy rains have wreaked havoc in many parts of Fujian, which has declared an emergency response to rainstorms, Xinhua news agency reported.

As of 8 p.m. on Saturday, the latest round of rains had affected 1,79,800 people and damaged 12,350 hectares of crops, causing a direct economic loss of 1.61 billion yuan (about $225 million), the office said.

From 6 a.m. on Saturday to 7 a.m. on Sunday, some hydrological stations in 11 rivers in Fujian had reported water levels between 0.07 and 3.65 metres above the warning level, the office added.

As of 7 a.m. on Sunday, water levels at seven hydrological stations had remained above the warning level.

Huang Zhigang, an expert with the Fujian Meteorological Service, urged people to be vigilant due to the risk of flooding in small and medium-sized rivers and the potential for waterlogging in both urban and rural areas.