Five people have been confirmed dead and another five?are?still?missing after torrential rains hit northwest China's Shaanxi Province?on Thursday, a spokesman with the provincial flood control authority said.

The downpours started at 8:00 AM on Wednesday. They have affected more than 308,000 people in 37 townships. Precipitation in 13 counties has exceeded 100 millimeters, the spokesman said.

In Shaanxi province 18 rivers have flooded, inundating more than 3,100 houses and damaging 3,600 houses, he stated.

More than 9,500 hectares of farmland have been flooded, totaling an estimated 64 million yuan (US$8.4 million) in economic losses.

On Thursday morning intense downpours forced 37,000 people to flee from their homes in Yunxi,?central China's Hubei Province,?sources with the local flood control headquarters said.

Torrential rains lashed Yunxi County, located in northwestern Hubei, from 3:00 AM to 8:00 AM on Thursday. Precipitation reached 184.3 millimeters in certain areas, an official with the headquarters said.

The Ma'anguan reservoir in the county reached its warning limit of 361.47 meters at approximately 6:00 AM, forcing more than 16,000 residents in the lower reaches of the reservoir to evacuate in less than two hours.

Another 18,000 residents living in villages around four other reservoirs had also been evacuated.

Headquarters has set up 100 tents for the displaced residents. Authorities are currently estimating damages.

Across the nation 1,279 people have died and 239 went missing due to natural disasters during the first seven months of this year, according to figures released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs earlier this week.

Wutip, the eighth tropical storm, bringing squall and downpours, is expected to land in east coast of China Thursday night.

Wutip, this year's eighth tropical storm, is bringing squalls and downpours. The storm landed on China's east coast Thursday night.

(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2007)