Nearly 5 million affected by typhoon in central Henan Province

Nearly 5 million people in central China's Henan Province have been affected by Typhoon Rumbia, the 18th this year, local authorities said on Monday.

Rumbia brought heavy downpours to the province over the past three days, resulting in direct economic losses of about 1.4 billion yuan (US$204 million), according to the provincial civil affairs department.

A total of 862,000 hectares of crops were affected, and around 550 houses collapsed or were badly damaged.

Non-stop heavy rain caused flooding in cities and counties across the province.

Local departments, including civil affairs, agriculture and meteorology, have organized officials and affected residents to drain flooded areas in the cities.

The typhoon has been moving northwest inland since it made landfall in Pudong New Area of Shanghai on Friday.

It has also caused heavy damage in eastern provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu.