Rainstorms and hails over the past half month have killed nine people and affected the life of more than 3 million people in east China's Shandong Province.

Zhang Kuizhong, an official with the provincial civil affairs bureau, said Wednesday that since June 16 rainstorms, hailstorms and tornadoes had hit 67 county-level areas in the province, about half of the province's territory.

In some seriously-affected areas, force-10 wind uprooted trees with a diameter of over 50 cm and rainstorms and hails totally damaged cotton, corn and other plants of local farmers.

The provincial government has allocated an emergency relief fund totaling 3 million yuan (US$362,700) and local governments of the affected cities and counties poured 18.45 million yuan into disaster relief, helping local farmers resume normal life, rebuild their homes and replant crops.

Rainstorms were still continuing in some affected regions at press time.

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2004)