Rain-triggered floods hit China's Shaanxi, affecting almost 70,000

XI'AN - Nearly 70,000 people from 146 villages in Luonan county, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, have been affected by floods as of 6 pm Saturday, after the county was hit suddenly by torrential rains.

Heavy rainfall battered Luonan from 2 pm Thursday to 2 pm Friday, causing direct economic losses of more than 900 million yuan (about 139 million US dollars), according to the county government.

The natural disaster has led to the evacuation of 58,345 people, it said.

Monitoring data shows that improved weather has seen water levels in 23 reservoirs in Luonan County drop below their flood season marks.

Rescue work is still underway.