Rare winter floods cause massive economic losses

Rare winter floods in Hunan and Jiangxi provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have brought an economic loss of 990 million yuan (155.9 million U.S. dollars), the national flood control and drought relief headquarters said on Thursday.

As of Thursday, about 555,000 people were affected by the floods, 453 houses have collapsed and more than 29,300 residents have been relocated, according to preliminary statistics from the headquarters.

Torrential rain has been battering these areas throughout November, causing more than 30 rivers to break their banks.

The headquarters has sent four work teams to the areas to conduct rescue and relief work. Endi