ULAN BATOR, July 18 (Xinhua)-- Heavy flooding killed 48 people in Mongolia while downpours in the western Bayan-Ulgii Province affected more than 2,500 people, Mongolian officials said on Wednesday.

The deputy chief of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Brigadier General Gombojav Ariunbuyan, said as of Wednesday morning, over 600 people from 185 households were staying in emergency shelters in eight locations in the province.

The meteorological institute warned that the water levels in major rivers in the western, northern and central parts of the country had risen to dangerous levels. More heavy rain is expected in these areas.

Heavy downpours have been hitting Mongolia since the beginning of July, triggering massive flooding in some areas.

NEMA said floods have claimed 48 lives, including nine children, since the beginning of summer.