Beijing, March 24 - At least 13 people were killed and more than two million affected as hailstorms hit several parts of China, officials said.

Nine people died and over 270 were injured when a hailstorm hit Dongguan city in south China's Guangdong province, Xinhua reported.

The hailstorm caused an economic loss of over 350 million yuan (around $56 million) in the city.

Three people died and more than one million have been affected after hailstorms hit the central Hunan province.

More than 74,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. Around 1,900 houses have collapsed and 100,000 homes were partially damaged.

The storm damaged over 92,000 hectares of crops.

In other regions of central and south China, a rew round of hailstorms killed one person and affected around 840,000 people, according to the ministry of civil affairs.

At least 42 areas in Chongqing and the provinces of Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan and Guizhou have been ravaged by the extreme weather, leaving at least 150,000 people in urgent need of resettlement and basic living aid.

The storm has toppled more than 1,000 houses and damaged another 138,000 in these areas.

It also damaged 43,200 hectares of crops, causing an economic loss estimated at 590 million yuan ($94 million). (IANS)