Unusual floods on several tributaries of the nation's two biggest rivers since the beginning of the month have left more than 100 people dead or missing, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.
At least 90 people in nine provinces have been killed and 22 were still missing as of yesterday because of the flooding, the ministry said on its website.
Over the past three weeks, the rain caused 26 billion yuan (HK$31.74 billion) in damage and forced nearly a million people to be evacuated from their homes, according to the statement.
Big floods were observed along the Qu and Han rivers, tributaries of the Yangtze River, and along the Wei and Liluo rivers, tributaries of the Yellow River, from Sunday to Tuesday.
'It is rare that big floods happen to a number of rivers at the same time in autumn,' Shu Qingpeng , a spokesman for the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief, told the Guangming Daily.
Constant heavy rainfall since September 1 led to 40 rivers rising above alert levels in central and western provinces, the Ministry of Water Resources said on its website yesterday.
Flooding along the Jialing River had been the worst in a century, while flooding along the Han and Wei rivers was the worst in two and three decades, respectively, the ministry said.