Torrential rains have continued since May 18 and taken a big toll on Fujian province, claiming eight lives with one still missing, authorities said Sunday.

Nearly 300,000 people across 29 counties and 235 towns were affected by the rain, and about 48,200 were forced to evacuate.

32 counties have seen precipitation surpass 100 mm during the four-day stretch, with Ninghua and Qingliu counties reporting over 400 mm.

Serious floods occured in Shaxi River, a tributary of the Minjiang River.

The downpour toppled 3,000 houses and hit some 38,000 hectares of farmland. It also damaged 38 hydropower stations and 89 km of embankments, leading to direct economic losses of 3.2 billion yuan.