5,000 relocated due to C China rainstorm

CHANGSHA - More than 5,000 people have been relocated since a heavy rainstorm began to hit parts of Central China's Hunan province on Tuesday, local authorities said Friday.

About 4,900 people in 39 towns in Yongzhou city were relocated because of the downpour. Yunxi Reservoir in Daoxian county recorded a daily precipitation of 136.6 mm, according to a statement from the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

A total of 54 houses collapsed and 180 people were relocated in the city of Chenzhou. About 7,640 people in 25 towns and 505 hectares of farmland were affected, the statement said.

In the meantime, about 40,000 people were affected due to a heavy hail which pounded the Baoding city in north China's Hebei province on Tuesday, according to the provincial civil affairs department.

More than 1,800 hectares of farmland were affected in the hail and the direct economic loss is estimated to be 17 million yuan ($2.7 million), according to the department.