The government on Tuesday allocated 16 million yuan (about 2.29 million US dollars) to flood-hit Guizhou Province for disaster relief, the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) said.

The money was allocated by the MCA and the Ministry of Finance to assist the southwestern province, which -- along with Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces -- received heavy rain in recent days.

At least 64 people were known dead as of Friday.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters launched a level-three emergency response plan on Wednesday to address possible flooding problems.

(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2008)