Rainstorms have pounded the city of Yichang over the past two days, affecting more than 100,000 people and forcing 1,000 to be evacuated from low-lying areas, local authorities said Tuesday. The downpours have also inundated almost 15,000 hectares of cropland and damaged more than 300 houses, Xinhua quoted a spokesman with the Yichang Municipal Flood Control Office as saying. Direct economic losses amounted to 58 million yuan (9 million U.S. dollars), the spokesman said, adding that local authorities have launched a disaster relief operation.
