SHANGHAI, July 23 -- Heavy rain in China has killed at least 87 people and forced 16 million from their homes, state media reported on Saturday.

Seventy-two people have been killed and 78 are missing in the northern province of Hebei after rain triggered floods and landslides, the Xinhua news agency reported, citing the civil affairs department.

Nearly 50,000 homes have collapsed and about 8.6 million people have been affected, it said.

In the central province of Henan, 15 people were killed and eight were missing after thunderstorms and strong winds forced 7.2 million people from their homes and damaged 18,000 houses,

Large parts of China have been inundated with rain this summer, killing more than 200 people.

More than 1.5 million hectares of crops have been damaged, leading to direct economic losses of more than 20 billion yuan ($3 billion), the government has said.

The central bank on Friday issued a statement saying it would provide financial support for flooded areas. ($1 = 6.6760 Chinese yuan renminbi)