WUHAN, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Six people are dead and four others missing after a rainstorm hit central China's Hubei Province on Thursday.
As of Friday, 19,000 people have been relocated to safe places, according to the provincial civil affairs department. A total of 656 homes collapsed and 110,860 hectares of crops were damaged by the storm. Direct economic losses have reached 591 million yuan (88.8 million U.S. dollars), according to the department.
After cracks were found on the body of a newly-built residential building in Dongbao District in the city of Jingmen, the 316 residents of the building were evacuated to a primary school on Thursday night.
Disaster relief efforts are under way. Tents, folding beds, quilts and clothes have been sent to the affected areas.