Harsh weather kills one, affects over 1.4 mln in SW China

Downpours and snowfall in southwest China's Yunnan province from Thursday to Saturday led to one death and affected more than 1.4 million people, local authorities said on Tuesday.

The harsh weather damaged a total of 85,690 hectares of farmland and inflicted direct economic losses of about 1.4 billion yuan (about $226 million), according to statistics from the provincial civil affairs department.

Nearly 270,000 residents of 22 counties in central and southern Yunnan suffered torrential rains, gales and hail. One person died after a house collapsed in a downpour, according to the department.

In addition, falling temperatures and heavy snow affected 1.14 million people in 32 counties.

Civil affairs authorities in Yunnan have allocated 1.98 million yuan for disaster relief.