XI'AN, July 4 (Xinhua) -- More than 16,600 people have been affected by flooding caused by days of torrential rain in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, local authorities said Wednesday.

As of Tuesday morning, rainstorms since Friday had battered four cities in Shaanxi, forcing the relocation of 290 people.

Heavy rain also damaged nearly 1,200 hectares of crops and 460 houses, causing an estimated economic loss of about 35 million yuan (5.3 million U.S. dollars).

The local meteorological department has issued rainstorm alerts, while the provincial disaster management office has taken measures to deal with the heavy rain.