China sends relief teams to rainstorm-hit regions

BEIJING - Central authorities have dispatched disaster survey and relief teams to rainstorm-hit regions in North China's Shanxi province and Northwest China's Shaanxi province, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said in a statement on Sunday.

Heavy rain has caused 24 deaths, left four people missing and affected more than 620,000 others in Shaanxi, figures from the provincial civil affairs department showed.

Rain-triggered disasters have also caused 1.63 billion yuan ($265.8 million) in direct economic losses, according to the figures.

In neighboring Shanxi, torrential rain had killed four people and affected 840,000 others as of 8 pm Saturday, with another 28,000 evacuated, according to the province's civil affairs department.

Both provincial governments have sent relief funds and supplies to disaster-hit areas.