2010-07-13 11:16

BEIJING - China's meteorological authorities forecast Tuesday rainstorms to continue to batter flooded areas in central and eastern China near the Yangtze River over the next three days.

Heavy rains will hit some regions in the provinces of Guizhou, Sichuan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, while heavy rain is also expected in Chongqing municipality, the China Meteorological Administration said.

Southern Qinghai, eastern Inner Mongolia, eastern Liaoning, central Gansu and western Yunnan will also be subjected to heavy rains over the next three days.

Rain-triggered floods are affecting millions of people in regions along the Yangtze River.

As of Monday, heavy rains since July 8 had affected 18.3 million people in 10 provinces and municipalities, leaving 43 dead and 18 missing, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters (SFDH).

The floods have destroyed 39,000 homes, forced the evacuation of 755,000 residents and affected 974,000 hectares of crops, resulting in direct economic losses of 10.6 billion yuan ($1.57 billion), according to the SFDH.