Floods inflict toll on region

WUZHOU, Guangxi - Thirty-eight people died after 10 days of torrential rain in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, according to the local flood control authorities on Wednesday.

Heavy rain hit 80 counties in the autonomous region, affecting 3.5 million people and incurring 2.41 billion yuan ($354 million) in direct economic losses, including 1.02 billion yuan in the agricultural sector.

Approximately 164,580 hectares of farmland were also swallowed by the floodwater, while 16,395 houses collapsed and another 21,795 were damaged.