At least 56 dead as floods hit southern China

Many people in Wuhan, Hubei province, have had to make their way through the water to safety. Photo / AP

At least 56 people have been killed and a further 22 reported missing as heavy rains continue to pummel southern China, flooding towns, cutting off power and halting traffic, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs said yesterday.

As much as 48.6cm of rain had been dumped on several cities since Thursday, including the scenic resort city of Guilin in the Guangxi region, the ministry said.

More than 11 million people in 11 southern provinces were affected by floods, landslides and hailstorms, the ministry said. Rivers have broken their banks, inundating surrounding communities.

The ministry said water levels in major rivers and lakes in the southern province of Hunan had surged to alarming levels, and that the collapse of levees forced large-scale evacuations.

Dozens of flights at several airports serving major cities in the region including Chengdu, Changsha, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen were cancelled or delayed, stranding thousands of travellers. Chengdu's airport was shut down for more than an hour on Monday because of rain, forcing 13 incoming flights to land elsewhere, according to state media reports.

Trains were also halted, and roads were cut off to many towns and villages in the region. Television footage showed major flooding in cities, where the lower floors of homes and shops have been submerged.

The national meteorological centre forecast more rain to come this week in southern China.

Meanwhile, stifling heat has settled over Beijing, Hebei, Henan and other northern provinces since last week, where temperatures are forecast to reach 40C in some areas, according to the meteorological bureau.

Men on an inflatable raft pass by shops submerged by flooding in Liuzhou in southern China. Photo / AP

Cities in Shaanxi province issued alerts, saying temperatures could exceed 35C in the coming three days.

In Beijing, many residents stayed indoors over the weekend because of the heatwave.

In the Inner Mongolia region, more than 200 firefighters were battling a grassland fire that had crossed over to northern China from Mongolia, Xinhua reported.

The blaze spread quickly in the heat, dry conditions and strong winds.

- AP, Reuters