More rain adds to China flood crisis

A rescue team evacuate a sick man from his flooded home in the southwest city of Chongqing

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Continued rain is adding to China's severe flooding which has left at least 596 people confirmed dead, destroyed 600,000 homes and forced the evacuation of almost 1.5 million people, state media reports.

An incessant deluge has battered large areas of China since early June with the provinces of Shaanxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan and Guizhou the hardest hit, the China Daily reported Thursday.

In those provinces, the situation is getting worse and emergency rescue operations are still being carried out, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs said.

Chinese officials told CNN they estimate the death toll to reach about 750 but admit it could climb much further with more people reported missing after weekend storms triggered another bout of flashfloods and mudslides.

Many of the dead were unprepared farmers who tilled dry river banks in areas that have been plagued with persistent drought, Yan Zhizhuang, head of the Disaster and Social Relief Division of the Ministry of Civil Affairs told the China Daily.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO The death toll from the devastating floods that battered large areas of China this month has grown to over 500. CNN's Gordon Robison reports. Play video

"Most of the deaths were caused by torrents of water, mud and rocks tumbling down from hills in remote areas," Yan said.

Economic losses

The ministry said that 110 million people had been affected by the flooding, but added it is not expected to be as devastating as other major floods in the past 12 years.

"Generally speaking, this summer's flood-induced disasters have not been as severe as the devastating deluges along the Huaihe River in 1991 and the Yangtze River in 1998,'' Yan said.

The 1998 floods killed 4,000 and caused over 260 billion yuan (US$31.3 billion) in damage.

Economic losses from this year's flooding has so far been calculated at 26 billion yuan (US$3.132 billion), the China Daily reported.

As well as destroying 590,000 houses and damaging 1.67 million others, 7.3 million hectares (18 million acres) of farm land has also been flooded.

With crops and harvests ruined in the flooded areas, the Red Cross has warned that flood victims will be facing a food shortage until the next harvest.

Relief efforts

Emergency supplies are being sent to the affected arease

Relief efforts are underway with 3.28 billion yuan (US$395.1 million) handed out by the central government for emergency assistance.

Supplies of clothing, food and medicine have been dispatched to several hard-hit provinces while charities, including the Red Cross, are raising funds and collecting donations.

Meanwhile officials are warning that more flooding is on the way with further heavy rains forecast to hit the country in the coming weeks.

A high death toll this early in the rainy season -- which lasts into September -- is generating fears that many more people could die this year from further flooding.

-- CNN Beijing Bureau Chief Jaime FlorCruz contributed to this report.