2011-01-12 15:23

NANNING -- Freezing weather in China's southwest has killed more than 1,000 farm animals and disrupted the lives of nearly 2 million people in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, local authorities said.

As of 4:30 pm Tuesday, 1,221 livestock had died from the cold, and residents affected by the icy weather had reached 1.91 million, according to a statement released by the region's disaster relief headquarters.

Guilin, Liuzhou, Beihai, and the region's capital Nanning, are among the most seriously hit cities. About 44,600 of region's residents were short of drinking water, according to the statement.

More than 165,000 hectares of crops had been damaged or destroyed by freezing rain or snow.

Direct economic losses in the region have reached 844 million yuan ($128 million).

The National Meteorological Center is continuing its yellow alert -- the second highest -- for freezing temperatures in parts of south China, including Guangxi and also for the provinces of Guizhou, Yunnan, Hunan and Jiangxi.