Two days of torrential rain in central China's Hubei Province left three people dead, 35 seriously injured and over 350,000 homeless, a local official said Saturday.

 

Liu Changdou, a disaster-relief official from the provincial civil affairs department, told Xinhua that by Saturday 945 houses collapsed and 137,500 ha of farmlands were flooded in the province.

 

According to the provincial flood control and drought relief command center, the heavy rain swept over 11 cities and counties from May 24 to 25. The precipitation in Jingzhou City, which was among the worst hit, reached 260.7 mm, which was rarely seen here in history.

 

Reservoirs in the province have exerted flood-control roles to ensure a steady water discharge to the lower reaches of waterways.

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 27, 2006)