Three people were killed and five others missing in floods that have been tormenting parts of Fujian, a province on the east China coast.

Also affected by the floods and flood-inflicted natural disasters were 1.6 million residents, including 212,000 people who were evacuated from their homes, said information provided by Fujian Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

The bad weather prevented 4,565 students in Jian'ou, a city in central Fujian, from sitting in a national college entrance exam that started on Wednesday, said Chen Xiong, leader of the educational bureau of the city.

The entrance exam had to be postponed, said Chen.

The central and northern areas of this east Chinese coastal province have been washed down by rainstorms since Sunday, and floods have occurred on many local rivers in the province.

Floods have caused many cases of landslides, mud and stone flows, destroyed plenty of houses, infrastructure and farmland crops in 26 counties and cities, where transport was also hard hit.

The direct economic losses caused by the floods and related natural disasters were 2.19 billion yuan (about 270 million U.S. dollars), said sources from the provincial flood control headquarters.

The detachment of the Armed Police positioned in Fujian have dispatched 576 officers and soldiers, along with 28 buses and 30 speedboats, to give a helping hand in the rescue efforts.

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2006)