In China, torrential rains and floods, the worst in a decade, have claimed the lives of 701 people and left 347 missing in China since the beginning of the year. According to figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs today, floods had hit 27 provinces and municipalities, affecting 110 million people and 8.06 million people had been relocated. They also affected more than 7 million hectares of farmland and destroyed 645,000 houses. Direct economic losses had reached 142.2 billion yuan. Since the beginning of April, when the flood season started, the levels of more than 230 rivers had passed the danger mark. Some areas along the Yangtze River even experienced the worst flooding in 30 years. Addressing a press conference, vice minister of Water Resources Liu Ning warned authorities to maintain their high alert as the flood season was far from over, and the six to eight typhoons expected to land later this year would bring more rain and exacerbate the situation.