BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The rain-triggered floods in China have affected some 54.8 million people in 27 provincial-level regions as of Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

Floods in these areas, including the provinces of Jiangxi, Anhui and Hubei, have left 158 people dead or missing, and forced the emergency relocation of around 3.76 million people.

About 368,000 houses were damaged, and direct economic losses amounted to 144.43 billion yuan (about 20.66 billion U.S. dollars).

Since June, continuous downpours have lashed large parts of southern China, and the water in many rivers in the affected regions has exceeded warning levels.  ■