BEIJING, June 17 -- Heavy rain in south China have left 14 people dead and with seven others missing, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said on Friday.

Storms hit most of southern China from Tuesday through Thursday, pushing water levels in rivers to dangerous levels and forcing the evacuation of 137,000 people.

The storms caused 3.22 billion yuan (489.36 million U.S. dollars) of damage.

Since the beginning of the year, 98 have been killed by severe weather and 27 are still unaccounted for. Some 34,000 houses have collapsed and losses are estimated at 19.7 billion yuan.