Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain have left 15 people dead and two missing in southwest China's Sichuan Province, a spokesman with the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Tuesday.

Since Saturday, heavy rains in Dazhou had affected more than three million people in and around the city, the spokesman said.

About 127,000 people had been relocated as a result of the floods, which have caused direct losses worth 326 million yuan (US$42million).

Local authorities have dispatched seven teams to different regions to direct relief work.