BEIJING - China's central authorities on Thursday upgraded its emergency response to level 4 -- the highest-- and sent disaster relief teams to Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces -- where heavy rainfall has triggered serious floods claiming lives.

Floods, caused by a new round of torrential rains that started to pelt South China Monday, had hit some 20 counties in Zhejiang and 27 counties in Anhui, according to a source from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

As of 6 pm Thursday, the floods triggered by the concentrated rainfall in the past four days had resulted in 19 deaths and seven missing in Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces and Chongqing Municipality, according to the ministry source.

More than 555,000 people have been evacuated in those areas, while some 3,500 houses in the two provinces of Zhejiang and Anhui had toppled, and 18,100 more were damaged in the floods, it said.

Earlier Thursday, a disaster inspection and relief team was also sent to Jiangxi where the floods had killed four and affected 3.18 million people.

The teams will inspect the disaster and assist local governmental departments in combatting the floods.