BEJING, China, June 5 (UPI) -- Flooding from a week of torrential rains in China has killed more than 200 people in three southwestern provinces destroying 140,000 homes.
Water washed over 1.5 million acres of farmland in Hunan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces leaving thousands homeless, the Xinhau news agency said. More than 1,000 police and officials were attempting to rescue survivors in the affected areas, where roads and bridges were washed out.
At least 60 people were confirmed dead and 43 missing in hard-hit Xinshao County in Hunan Province in south-central China and the death toll was expected to rise, a government official said.
Chinese Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu asked local government officials to quickly relocate people left homeless to prevent disease outbreaks and to shore up reservoirs, the BBC reported.
Damage from flooding in southern Guangdong Province is estimated in the millions of dollars.
