CHENGDU - Rain storms since Saturday have killed three people and affected more than 620,000 people in Dazhou city in Sichuan province, local authorities said Monday.

The rain storms also destroyed 2,419 houses and damaged another 5,529 dwellings in the city, an official of Dazhou municipal government said.

The municipal government activated an emergency response in the affected areas and sent work teams to evacuate those at risk. As of 4 pm Monday, more than 8,500 people had been evacuated, the official said.