In China, eight persons were killed and seven remained missing after heavy rains hit in Chongqing Municipality and the provinces of Hubei, Sichuan and Shaanxi, forcing evacuation of fifty four thousand people. <br/><br/>Over two thousand two hundred houses have collapsed and twelve thousand damaged due to the heavy rain. According to Ministry of Civil Affairs sources in Beijing, direct economic losses are estimated to be of 293.2 million US dollars.