BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese disaster relief authorities launched an emergency response to deadly floods in Shanxi Province on Saturday.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction have also sent teams to assist relief work in the northern province.

Heavy rain and floods since July 18 have left at least six dead and forced the evacuation of 19,000 people in Shanxi. Nearly 15,000 house have collapsed and 5,600 hectares of crops have been destroyed, causing an economic loss of 1.4 billion yuan (about 210 million U.S. dollars), according to local authorities.

Local disaster relief authorities also dispatched work teams to flood-hit areas and provided supplies and more than 12 million yuan of cash to help people resettle.