Floods and landslides have killed 1,247 people and left another 331 missing in China in the major flood season this year, a senior official said, adding that crops on at least 15 million hectares of farmland have been destroyed and 1.17 million houses ruined.

    Direct economic losses from the disasters were estimated to have amounted to 136 billion yuan (US$ 16.8 billion), said Vice-Minister of Water Resources E Jingping.

    The hardest-hit areas include the provinces of Fujian, Anhui, Zhejiang and Hainan in southern and eastern China, which have been plagued by seven typhoons and cyclones that claimed 205 lives.

    The figures were released as East China recovered from Typhoon Longwang, which left at least 95 people dead. Eighty of them were police cadets who were swept away in a landslide in Fujian Province.

    According to the flood-control authority, this year's major flooding period in China is drawing close.

    However, the continuous heavy rainfall during the National Day holiday has caused the biggest flood in a decade along the lower reaches of the Weihe River and the middle reaches of the Hanjiang River in Shaanxi and Hubei provinces.

    Sections of the rivers running through Shaanxi Province in Northwest China overflowed, forcing 359,000 people to be evacuated.

    More than 4.6 million people in 61 counties were affected by floods and mud slides, which ruined 79,800 hectares of crops and destroyed 39,200 houses.

    Floodwaters also damaged railways, highways, cable lines and irrigation infrastructure in the province. About 30,000 people have been mobilized to reinforce embankments.

    But the flood gradually receded as the water level fell below warning levels late Thursday, Xinhua reported.

    Central China's Hubei Province was also dealing with torrential rains and the threat of widespread floods.

    The water level in the middle reaches of the Hanjiang River running through Hubei Province has risen above the danger mark. Some 20,000 people were toiling to shore up embankments and watch for breaches.

    The peak of the flood is expected to hit Xiantao, a city near provincial capital Wuhan, on Friday night.

    Floods have always been part of life in China, although officials have said this year has been more devastating than usual.

    Official statistics indicate a total of 1,343 people died from floods or mudslides in the country last year.

    Since serious flooding of the Yangtze River in 1998, China has spent billions on flood mitigation.

    Major rivers have been brought under greater control and early warning systems have been put in place, but flash floods and landslides caused by unprecedented rains continue to cause major damage.

    Water authorities have set a target for overcoming natural disasters during the period of the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10), Wang Shucheng, minister of water resources said.

    In the following five years, the ministry will further reinforce flood-control systems with the operation of frequently used flood detention basins. These will protect against damage and enable floodwaters to be used as a resource, Wang said. Enditem