Rainstorms leave 4 dead in Chongqing

Rainstorms in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality have left four people dead and one missing, local civil affairs authorities said on Friday.

More than 2.02 million people have been affected, with over 10,000 people relocated since heavy rainstorms began to hit urban areas along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River on June 25, according to a statement from the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA).

More than 13,000 houses had collapsed in the storm, and a total of 96,300 hectares of farmland had been affected, according to the statement.

Direct economic losses are estimated at 300 million yuan (47.5million U.S. dollars).

The MCA and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction activated its lowest-level emergency response plan to address the floods in Chongqing. Meanwhile, special work teams have been sent to help with relief work.

Flooding is expected to peak in downtown Chongqing on Friday. The water level of the Cuntan Hydrologic Station in Chongqing is around 50 centimeters over the warning level, according to the local flood control and drought relief headquarters.