China floods: Deaths up to 33, economic loss at $189 million

Xinhua news agency reported direct economic losses of 1.22 billion yuan ($189 million) until Thursday.

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from the flood-hit areas of the central Chinese province of Henan with the death toll from the record rainfall rising to 33, officials said on Thursday.

The province has seen widespread damage to crops. (Reuters)

More cities in the province have been flooded and farmlands destroyed as the severe weather spread northwards closer to Hebei, a northern province near national capital, Beijing.

Xinhua news agency reported direct economic losses of 1.22 billion yuan ($189 million) until Thursday.

Torrential rain has affected about 3 million people in Henan province, severely impacting the capital city, Zhengzhou. The province has seen widespread damage to crops.