Torrential rain and landslides have killed at least 66 people and left another 66 missing in south and central China since the beginning of June, state media reported Thursday.
More than 30,000 people have been forced to relocate to avoid floods and landslides in the provinces of Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hunan and Guizhou, and in the region of Guangxi Zhuang, the Xinhua news agency said.
In southwest China's Sichuan, the worst hit area, landslides triggered by rainstorms left 46 dead and 66 missing, the report said, citing Wei Hong, deputy governor of the province.
Heavy rain has destroyed 180 homes in Jiangxi in the east and caused an estimated 342 million yuan (50 million dollars) in damages, the local government said, according to the report.
Officials in Guangxi Zhuang in the south have warned that 1,868 sites could face landslides, putting 190,000 people and 1.5 billion yuan worth of property at risk, it said.
Landslides have killed 17 people in central China's Hunan province while torrential rain between last Thursday and Tuesday in Guizhou has taken three lives and flooded the homes of 490,000 people, it added.
The China Meteorological Observatory has warned of further heavy rain in the areas affected until Friday.
South and central China are prone to flooding during the summer rainy season.
According to the central flood headquarters earlier this month, 95 people were killed and 21 people went missing in flooding throughout China in the first six months of the year.
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