Torrential rains and flooding that left one person dead affected the livelihoods of 419,300 people in east China at the weekend, the Anhui provincial civil affairs bureau said on Tuesday.

More than 1,200 people were evacuated in the three days of rain from Friday to Sunday.

Initial estimates showed 1,200 homes and more than 21,600 hectares of crops were destroyed, with losses totaling 108 million Yuan (15.4 million US dollars), according to the bureau.

The flood crest of the Huaihe River, China's sixth longest and one of its most flood prone rivers, surpassed the danger mark on Monday at Wangjiaba, a hydrological station in Anhui.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2008)