NE China downpour kills two, affects 98,000

BEIJING - Heavy rain in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province has caused two deaths, left one person missing and affected 98,000 people since Saturday, said the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Thunderstorms and hail led to the collapse of 100 houses and damage to more than 1,300, according to a report posted on the ministry's website on Monday.

More than 5,100 people have been evacuated and 64,000 hectares of farm produce affected, according to the statement.

China's meteorological authority warned on Sunday that torrential rain triggered by typhoon Rammasun will hit northeast China and north China from Sunday to Tuesday after the strongest typhoon in four decades battered southern provinces.