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The heaviest rainfall in decades has caused floods and landslides in southern China, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people.
According to the China National Meteorological Center, average rainfall in the southern provinces of Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi between early May and mid-June reached 24 inches (62.1 cm), the highest since 1961.
About 145,000 people have been evacuated from areas in Guangxi and 2,700 homes have collapsed.
The cities of Shaoguan and Qingyuan in Guangdong raised their flood alarms to level 1, the highest.
Officials in Guangdong said more than 200,000 people had been evacuated.
Authorities urged residents to move to higher ground after the floods reached record levels, state television reported.
Officials also said construction sites, businesses, public transport and ports could be closed, while staff could not go to work.
In northeastern Jiangxi province, authorities raised a “red alert” to flooding after 485,000 people were affected in nine districts, the Xinhua news agency said.
Economic losses amounted to 470 million yuan (.2 57.2 million), with 43,300 hectares planted destroyed, he reported.
State media photos showed flooded homes, people trying to clear mud and setting up flood protection sandbags.
China has experienced heavy rainfall in recent months, with experts saying extreme weather is becoming more common due to global warming.
In August last year, 21 people lost their lives after heavy rains hit central China’s Hubei province, just weeks after record floods killed more than 300 people in neighboring Henan province.
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