Storms have killed at least 38 people in southwestern and central parts of China.

 

In Guizhou province, 5 people have died and four others are missing after rain-triggered landslides, which buried eight village houses. The local government has ordered watercourses to be cleared and dikes to be reinforced. In Hunan, four people have been found dead and one is missing.

In Jiangxi, torrential rain has forced more than 3,500 people to evacuate their homes.

Chongqing Municipality is the hardest hit. Violent storms had left nearly 30 people dead and 200 missing. More than 70,000 people have been relocated.

In Dianjiang county,heavy rain together with strong gales started from early Thursday morning continued for 8 hours.

20 people were killed and over 100 injured. Some 1000 houses were toppled and another 10 thousand damaged. Direct economic loss is estimated at more than 120 million yuan or 17 million U.S. dollars.

More heavy rains are expected in the next two days in the county.