Six people have died and five others were injured after heavy rains hit southwest China's Guizhou Province from Monday evening to Tuesday, local authorities said.

Heavy rainfall hit Guiyang,?Guizhou Province on May 22, 2012. [Xinhua]?

From Monday evening to 8 a.m. Tuesday, downpours battered 18 cities and counties in Guizhou, affecting over 180,000 people, according to the provincial civil affairs department.

The rainstorms have damaged over 1,500 houses, including 207 that collapsed. Over 631 people have been relocated to avoid flood risks.

Heavy rains and floods have also affected more than 4,728 hectares of farmland, the department said.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the Guizhou disaster relief office and civil affairs department jointly initiated level 4 emergency response, the highest level, and sent relief goods and funds to disaster-hit areas.

Some areas in south and southwest China, as well as regions south of the Yangtze River, will see heavy rain and storms from Tuesday to Thursday, according to the National Meteorological Center.

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