Flooding affects over 6.8m people in China's Hunan province this year

A total of 6.86 million people were affected by rain-triggered floods this year in Central China's Hunan province, local authorities said on Friday.

Downpours in the province have led to the deaths of 24 people, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Roughly 21,300 houses collapsed or were severely damaged, and about 628,000 hectares of farmlands were damaged by the heavy rains.

Direct economic losses amounted to 14.63 billion yuan (about $2.14 billion), according to official statistics.

As of Wednesday, Hunan province had suffered 24 incidences of heavy rainfall this year, with a cumulative rainfall of 1,299.4 mm.

Post-disaster reconstruction will be basically completed by the end of December 2020, and people who lost their homes due to the floods will move into new homes or safe residences with the help of the government before the Spring Festival in mid-February 2021, according to the Department of Emergency Management of Hunan.