32,300 armed police in flood relief

BEIJING - More than 32,300 armed police are fighting the floods that have killed more than 160 people.

They have been evacuating stranded people, reinforcing dikes and dams, transporting relief supplies, and dredging rivers in provinces of Anhui, Fujian, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Zhejiang.

The armed police have rescued and evacuated 4,500 people, according to the headquarters.

Since June 30, floods, hail and landslides have killed 164 people in China, mainly along the Yangtze River and its tributaries, and have left 26 missing, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Friday morning.

The disasters have also led to the collapse of 73,000 houses and forced the evacuation of 1.99 million people. More than 1 million people are in urgent need of basic living assistance.