38 people were killed, while two others were missing, as a result of heavy rains in China's Pingyuan County, Guangdong Province, south China, last week, according to local authorities. The Chinese authorities indicated that this toll is not final, while rescue, relief and post-disaster reconstruction efforts were still underway. Preliminary statistics show that about 55,388 people in the county were affected, and 2,247 houses collapsed, while direct economic losses are estimated at a total of 5.85 billion yuan (about USD 822 million). Heavy rain fell on the governorate for 12 consecutive hours on June 16, causing landslides, floods, and mudflows. Source: Qatar News Agency