By Xinhua
Beijing : Heavy snowfall has killed 24 people in China since Jan 10, the ministry of civil affairs said here Monday.
More than 7.86 million people have been affected by the snow in 14 provinces, including Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan, according to the ministry.
Among the killed, 10 died in collapses of houses weighed down by snow and 10 others died after falling on slippery roads. Two people drowned and two were hit by falling trees laden with snow.
The snow has affected more than 4.2 million hectares of farmland, and led to the collapse of about 107,000 houses with direct economic losses estimated at 22.09 billion yuan (about $3 billion).
According to reports by local officials, snow continued to fall in some southern provinces, such as Hunan and Hubei, while some areas in Guizhou, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region were receiving icy rain.