BEIJING - Chinese authorities initiated a grade IV emergency response to torrential rain and floods in Sichuan province on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction sent work teams to assist relief efforts in the southwest China province, where storms have brought floods and landslides since last week.

In Sichuan, two people were killed by landslides in Nanjiang county, which reported its worst floods since 1949. Another woman was killed by a landslide in Sichuan's Pengxi county.

Official figures show that the disaster has forced the relocation of 132,300 people across 44 townships with 23,000 houses being completely destroyed as of 9 am on Tuesday.

A grade IV response, the lowest in the country's emergency response system, means a 24-hour alert, daily damage reports, and dispatching money and relief materials within 48 hours.

The provincial government plans to allocate 15 million yuan ($2.45 million) to provide daily living assistance for residents from disaster-hit areas.