BEIJING - Twenty-four people have died and another four remain missing due to natural disasters that have occurred in parts of southern China since Tuesday, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Thursday.

A total of 1.53 million residents from the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong and Guizhou have been affected by severe weather conditions including thunder, gales and hail, and 215,000 people have been forced to relocate, the ministry said in a statement.

The disasters have caused direct economic losses of 1.31 billion yuan ($210.7 million), with about 248,000 homes damaged and 92,900 hectares of farmland affected, according to the statement.

Local governments' rescue and relief operations are going smoothly. Tents, quilts, coats and other relief materials have been sent to victims, it said.

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