Water submerges residential buildings in Qijiang district, Southwest China's Chongqing, as torrential rain hits the region, on July 1, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

121 people have died or are missing and 19.38 million have been affected due to floods in 26 provincial regions, including Southwest China’s Guizhou and Sichuan provinces as of Friday, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.

The floods have caused direct economic losses worth 41.64 billion yuan ($5.9 billion).

In June, meteorological departments across China sent more than 43,000 warning messages through various channels, according to the China Meteorological Administration.