About 18.3 million along Yangzi River suffer from torrential rain

Rising water levels in the Yangzi River have caused about 18.3 million people to suffer flooding in China's Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Chongqing regions since July 8, according to a CRI broadcast.

State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters informed Monday that the water level of the main stream of the Yangtze River, Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake has continued to rise. Some of them are around or above the warning line.

The statistics from State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters show that about 974,000 hectares (9,740 square kilometers) of crops were affected, 43 people killed, 18 missing and 39,000 houses collapsed. The direct economic losses amount to about 10.6 billion yuan, including 2.3 million yuan due to loss of water conservancy facilities.

By People's Daily Online