Deadly floods hit central, southern China

Beijing: Rainstorms have triggered floods across central and southern China, forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and leaving more than two dozen dead or missing, state media reported today. At least eight people were killed and a further nine were unaccounted for in the southern Guangxi region as of yesterday, Xinhua news agency said, citing local authorities.

Thousands of hectares of cropland were inundated and 600 houses collapsed in the region, causing around $215 million worth of damage. Nearly 38,000 people have been relocated. In neighbouring Hunan province, a mudslide killed five people and left another four missing on Saturday.

Days of heavy rain have raised the water level of the central region's Xiangjiang river, Xinhua reported on Sunday. More than 300,000 people have been evacuated across Hunan, which has lost 295,000 hectares of crops and seen more than 6,000 homes destroyed.

Last week, authorities said flooding had left 10 people dead in southwest Guizhou province, which also borders Hunan, since June 22. These more recent floods come after a huge landslide triggered by heavy rain hit Xinmo village in southwest Sichuan province last month, killing at least 10 and leaving 73 missing.