Relentless rainstorms in southern China over the past week have killed at least 55 people and forced the evacuation of nearly 400,000 others. Fujian province on the southeast coast has been the hardest hit with 28 deaths confirmed since the start of June, with Guangdong and Guizhou provinces each recording 11 fatalities, the China Daily newspaper reported.
The total number of people confirmed killed in China's southern provinces since the end of May has reached 55, with 12 others missing, according to the paper.
The deaths have largely been due to major flooding and landslides, which have also led to mass evacuations.
"At least 378,000 people have been evacuated and relocated because of the heavy rain," the paper quoted a disaster relief official with the ministry of civil affairs, Li Baojun, as saying.
Earlier reports had said the entire town of Chayang in Guangdong was flooded after officials released water from two reservoirs that were close to overflowing.
As a result, the streets of Chayang were submerged in four meters (13 feet) of water, forcing 5,000 people to be evacuated.
There were fears of worse to come with the storms, which are dumping 10 centimeters (four inches) of rain every 24 hours in some areas, expected to continue for at least two more days, the Fujian meteorological station said.
The biggest flooding in two decades has already been recorded on the Mingjiang river in Fujian, the China Daily said.
