Heavy rainfall wreaks havoc in central China province, disrupting lives of millions

Floods triggered by heavy rainfall have disrupted the lives of millions in central China's Hunan Province, according to local authorities.

As of 8am on Monday, 6.01 million people of the province had been impacted by heavy rains and more than 347,000 residents had been evacuated, with the direct economic losses being estimated at 12.29 billion yuan (US$1.76 billion), said provincial flood control officials.

Floods occurred on several rivers and Dongting Lake in the province. As of 8am on Monday, water levels of 23 hydrological stations around Dongting Lake were recorded exceeding the alert levels, according to the provincial hydrological bureau.

The water level at the Chenglingji hydrological station, the outbound control station of the lake, reached 34.24 meters, 1.74 meters higher than the alert mark.