Floods and landslides unleashed by heavy rains have killed at least 94 people and left 25 others missing in parts of southern and eastern China, state media reported Sunday.

Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 26 people and left 17 missing in southwest China's Sichuan province, seen here on Sunday.
(Li Qilong/Associated press)

About 500,000 people had been evacuated in Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces and the city of Chongqing, Xinhua News Agency reported.

More than 49,000 houses had been destroyed and another 240,000 damaged as a result of torrential rains in the worst-hit Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces over the past week, Xinhua said.

Direct economic losses could surpass $500 million US, Xinhua estimated.

Flooding is a perpetual problem in China, with floods this year killing more than 200 people, destroying 118,500 homes and affecting the lives of more than 42 million people, according to the national flood control office.

At the same time, droughts in the north of the country have left at least 7.4 million people short of drinking water, Xinhua said.