Rainstorms affect nearly 300,000 in E China

A round of torrential rains have swept across east China's Jiangxi province since Friday, affecting nearly 300,000 people, local authorities said Monday.

The provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said the rains affected 296,000 people and forced the evacuations of 3,340 by 8 a.m. on Monday.

Heavy rains also led to rising water levels in small and medium-sized rivers in the province.

The headquarters said rainstorms would probably continue to hit the southern and eastern parts of the province in the coming two days.

The central government has sent several teams to rain-hit provinces to help carry out relief work, as torrential rains also slammed Hunan and Guizhou provinces over the weekend.

Rainstorms have contributed to five deaths in Guizhou, and more than 220,000 people in the province have been affected.