Torrential rains have triggered flooding and landslides in central and southern China that have caused more than 50 deaths this month. Fifteen other people were missing, according to a report of the Associated Press. More than 17 million people over nine provinces have been affected by the rains since the start of July, with 600,000 people relocated, the Ministry for Civil Affairs said on its website. More rain was forecast Sunday. More than 42,000 houses have collapsed and another 121,000 were damaged, the ministry said. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops have been affected as well, with economic losses estimated at 8.9 billion Yuan (US$1.3 billion). Four of the victims were miners killed in a gas explosion after heavy rain cut off electricity and stopped ventilation equipment at a coal mine in southern Guizhou. Last month, heavy rains resulted in more than 400 deaths across nearly a dozen provinces.
