Floods in more than 60 rivers claim lives in south China as north wilts

Beijing: Torrential rain lashed parts of central and south China on Monday, with floods damaging crops, forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes and killing at least 33, while the north wilted in a heat wave and drought-like conditions.

People row a bamboo raft in a flooded
street in Yongfu, southern China.

Water levels in more than 60 rivers in southern China have risen above warning levels, the flood control authority said.

Thirty-three people were confirmed dead and 15 missing as of Monday morning after heavy rain and flooding engulfed provinces central and southern provinces including Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Sichuan and Guizhou, China's civil affairs ministry said.

The annual rainy season, which arrived in the second half of June, has hit southern Hunan province the most. Weather forecasters predict the relentless downpours could start to ease in coming days.

Read Ben Blanchard’s story in today’s Melbourne Age -  “Floods in more than 60 rivers claim lives in south China as north wilts.”