At least 49 dead, 114 injured in heavy rainstorms in NW China

At least 49 people are dead, 23 others missing and 114 injured Monday morning due to heavy rainstorms which hit North Western China earlier Monday. The rainstorms struck several areas in Southern China as well, destroying houses and croplands. Torrential rains have affected South China\'s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and overwhelmed roads and damaged old buildings in several cities, according to the provincial meteorological bureau. As of noon today, China\'s news agency (Xinhua) reported continuous rain had affected the lives of over 2.91 million people in 50 counties in Hunan province, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters. Over 3,600 houses in Hunan have collapsed in the storms, which have also led direct losses of about 2.879 billion yuan (about 456.3 million U.S. dollars), local authorities said torrential rains there have affected the lives of more than 1.9 million people and forced the relocation of almost 80,000 people. The heavy rain has pushed the water levels of major rivers above warning levels, said the provincial meteorological bureau. Meanwhile, in Shicheng city, about 84 houses were destroyed and over 1,500 hectares of crop land were inundated. Local authorities have evacuated more than 3,000 people, and continued to monitor the possible geological disasters.