Dozens killed as south China hit by floods and rainstorms

Floods and mudslides in south China have uprooted hundreds of thousands of people and left dozens dead or missing, state media reported Thursday. | Rescuers evacuating people in a flooded area after heavy rain in Yangshuo.

The bad weather has wreaked havoc on popular tourist areas that had already been battered by months of travel restrictions during the coronavirus outbreak. | Submerged streets and buildings after heavy rain caused flooding in Yangshuo.

Torrential downpours unleashed floods and mudslides that caused nearly 230,000 people to be relocated and destroyed more than 1,300 houses, official state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the Ministry of Emergency Management. | Rescuers evacuating people in a flooded area after heavy rain in Yangshuo.

In southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, six people were reported dead and one missing, Xinhua said. | Rescuers evacuating people in a flooded area after heavy rain in Yangshuo.

Streets were waterlogged in popular tourist destination Yangshuo, forcing residents and visitors to evacuate on bamboo rafts. | Submerged streets and inundated buildings after heavy rain caused flooding in Yangshuo.

The local government said more than 1,000 hotels had been flooded and more than 30 tourist sites damaged. | Flooding caused by heavy rain in Rongan.

One owner of a family-run hotel told Xinhua that the guest rooms were submerged in one metre (three feet) of rainwater. | Submerged fields and inundated buildings after heavy rain caused flooding in Rongan.

The extreme weather has dealt a hefty blow to the region's tourism sector, which is still reeling from the COVID-19 epidemic. | Houses and farmland submerged in floodwaters following heavy rainfall in Huizhou.

The emergency management ministry said there were direct economic losses of over 4 billion yuan (more than $550 million) from the flooding, Xinhua reported. | A man checking his motorcycle amid floodwaters in Rongan.

In Hunan Province, at least 13 people were killed in rain-triggered disasters, and another eight people are missing or killed in southwestern Guizhou province, according to the local emergency response departments, Xinhua said. | Workers clearing up branches following a landslide caused by heavy rain in Rongan.

The heavy downpours began at the beginning of June and have led to "dangerously high water levels" in 110 rivers, Xinhua reported. | People watching flood waters after heavy rain in Rongan.

Further rainstorms are expected in the next few days across the south. | A road cut off by a landslide caused by heavy rain in Rongan.