Rainstorms left 26 people dead, 14injured and 4 missing from Wednesday to Friday in southwest China's Guizhou, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, according to local government sources.

Death toll in the torrential rains that hit southern and eastern Sichuan rose to 12 by 6 PM Friday, and the whereabouts of another two are still unknown, said an official with the Sichuan Provincial Disaster Relief Office.

The rainstorm, which incurred floods and landslides, has plagued at least 360,000 people and toppled down 1,354 houses in three cities in Sichuan.

In the most seriously-hit Gulin County in south Sichuan's Luzhou City, rainfall reached 183 mm. A total of 4,533 hectares of farmland were flooded and electricity and traffic were cut off in many parts.

About 3,000 villagers have been evacuated. Direct economic losses were estimated at least 76.23 million yuan (US$9.53 million).

In neighboring Guizhou Province, where rainfall reached 102 mm to 148 mm in some areas, downpours and ensuing floods have killed nine people and affected 330,000 others, according to the Guizhou Provincial Headquarters for Flood Control and Drought Relief.

Local governments have evacuated more than 2,400 people to safe places, according to the headquarters.

Floods blocked traffic, damaged bridges and flattened residential houses in the disaster areas. Classes were also suspended in local schools.

Damages on crops and economic loss caused by the downpours and floods are being calculated.

The provincial government has sent rescuers to the affected areas for relief.

In Yunnan Province, five people were confirmed dead, two were missing and 14 were injured since rainstorms pelted Zhenxiong County from Wednesday to Thursday, according to local government sources.

As of Friday morning, floods damaged more than 1,000 houses and flattened 300 others in the county. The number of people affected by the flood is yet to be made out.

The county government has allocated over 600,000 yuan (US$75,000) as emergency aid to the affected areas.

Searching for the missing people is underway.

Continuous heavy rains since late May have also caused serious floods in Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces as well as Chongqing Municipality.

China suffers floods every year during the June-to-August rainy season, during which rivers overflow and water rushes down mountains, often causing deadly landslides.

(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2006)