BEIJING - A severe drought in a region of southern China has left 520,000 people short of drinking water and damaged crops, a news report said Thursday.

The drought has affected areas throughout the poor, mountainous Guangxi region on China's southern coast, the Xinhua News Agency said.

It said nearly 102,000 hectares (254,000 acres) of crops have been damaged, causing losses of more than 400 million yuan (US$50 million).

Droughts in areas across China this summer left 18 million people short of drinking water, according to the government.