Thunderstorms with heavy wind and hail hit 267 counties in 18 provincial regions between July 22 and today, according to a statement issued by the National Disaster Reduction Committee.
Incessant rain has resulted in the death of 54 people and another three are missing as several regions across China experienced thunderstorms in the past week.
These disasters affected nearly 6.4 million people and resulted in direct economic losses of 4.07 billion yuan (632 million US dollars), state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.
The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, as well as the provinces of Shandong, Sichuan and Hubei, were hit hardest by the recent round of severe weather, the statement said.
Published 27 July 2011, 10:00 IST