Freak rain causes havoc in S.China

WATCH VIDEO

Source: CCTV.com | 06-15-2008 13:57

Torrential rains have continued to lash eastern and southern China over the past few days. In the provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region heavy rainstorms resulted in traffic disruptions, floods and large-scale evacuations. The intensity of the downpours in parts of Guangdong and Guangxi have been increasing since Friday.

Torrential rains have continued to lash eastern and southern China over the past few days.

Precipitation has exceeded 300 millimeters in several cities and counties. Meanwhile, authorities have raised rainstorm warning levels to highlight the urgency of prevention efforts. Dozens of flights have been cancelled and more than a hundred were delayed or forced to land elsewhere. Over 20 national and provincial highways were also blocked. More than 600,000 people in Guangdong and Guangxi have been evacuated from flood zones.

Hubei Province was also hit by extraordinary rain rarely seen in the past decade. Some low-lying areas in the provincial capital of Wuhan are submerged in over half a meter of accumulated water. Weather forecasters say strong rains will continue to rage through most parts of southern China in the coming days. Relevant departments have been warned of mud and rock flows and landslides that could be triggered by the nasty weather.