Beijing, July 25 (TIWN) Nearly 70,000 people from 146 villages in Luonan county in China's Shaanxi province have been affected by floods triggered by torrential rain, authorities said on Sunday.

Heavy rainfall battered Luonan from July22-23, causing direct economic losses of more than 900 million yuan ($139 million), according to the county authorities.     The natural disaster has led to the evacuation of 58,345 people, Xinhua news agency quoted the authorities as saying.  Monitoring data shows that improved weather has seen water levels in 23 reservoirs in Luonan county drop below their flood season marks.  Rescue work is still underway.