China rainstorms kill at least 7

This photo taken in Guiyang city on July 16 shows local residents coping with the flooding caused by rainstorms.

BEIJING -- Heavy rains have left seven people dead and another seven missing in Central China's Hunan province and southwest China's Guizhou as of 4 pm Wednesday.

Severe rainfall and ensuing floods have hit the two provinces since July 10, affecting more than 5.5 million people, including 288,000 who are in urgent need of resettlement or basic living aids, according to a statement from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Hunan has seen two deaths and five go missing so far, with direct economic losses reaching 1.71 billion yuan ($273.8 million). Five people are dead and two are missing in Guizhou, where direct economic losses are estimated at 730 million yuan.

More than 13,000 houses have been destroyed and 21,200 hectares of crops are unharvestable in the two provinces, the statement said.

Hunan government spent one million yuan and Guizhou spent two million yuan on local disaster relief, it said.

The ministry and the National Committee for Disaster Reduction on Wednesday sent special teams to guide local disaster relief efforts.