Flood disasters in China this year have affected 34.81 million people, left 146 people dead or missing, destroyed 72,000 houses and caused a direct economic loss of 123 billion yuan ($18.93 billion), according to national flood control and drought relief headquarters on Wednesday.
Since the start of the flood season, 372 rivers in 26 provinces across the country have experienced floods exceeding the alarm level, of which 96 have exceeded the protection level and 31 others exceeded the historical record.