China's Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Civil Affairs on July 6 jointly sent 377 million yuan ($55.4 million) to four southern provinces that have been recently battered by rainstorms and consequent floods.

The funds will be mainly used for the evacuation and resettlement of affected people and the rebuilding of damaged houses in the provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi and Hunan, said a statement by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Figures from the ministry show that around 260 people have been killed and 211 remain missing in 11 provinces since rainstorms hit south China on June 13.

More than 3.8 million people were evacuated from flooded areas and relocated. Around 312,000 homes were destroyed and the floods resulted in direct economic losses reaching 64.57 billion yuan ($9.5 billion).

As of July 6, the two ministries had allocated a total of 867 million yuan ($127.5 million) to eight southern provinces and autonomous regions for flood relief.