Floods have caused havoc in 21 provinces in China this year, resulting in 24 billion yuan (US$3.5 billion) of direct economic losses as of Friday, the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said Saturday.

The amount of economic losses were up 370 percent from a year earlier,the office said in a statement.

A total of 155 people died and 24 other were missing due to the floods, with 2 million hectares of crops affected, according to the statement.

The office urged local governments to strengthen monitoring of major reservoirs and ramp up preventative measures against typhoons and landslides to reduce

(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2010)