(LI BIN)

Vehicles traverse a flooded street in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on May 19.

Heavy rainstorms repeatedly struck China this month, triggering floods, mudflows and landslides. Hunan, Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces and Chongqing Municipality were the worst hit.

Since April 1, floods had affected 13.67 million people and ravaged 835,000 hectares of farmland in 16 provinces throughout the country, Xinhua News Agency said on May 19, citing statistics from the National Flood Control and Drought Relief Command. The floods also killed at least 70 people and left 21 missing. Direct economic losses have been estimated at 10.3 billion yuan ($1.51 billion).