Floods devastate Uighur region in western China

URUMQI, China, June 21 (UPI) -- Flooding in China's Uighur Autonomous Region has drowned thousands of acres of farmland and destroyed hundreds of homes, officials said.

Officials estimated 160,000 people had been affected by the floods in Xinjiang province by Thursday afternoon, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.

An estimated 3,000 people have been evacuated from their homes.

The regional civil affairs department said 1,638 houses had been reported destroyed and 6,197 damaged.

Torrential rains have been accompanied in some areas by hail. The hail has injured 84 people and killed 11,200 domestic birds and 89 farm animals, Xinhua said.