Rainstorms leave 11 dead, thousands homeless

Rainstorms in Guizhou Province since Wednesday have left at least 11 people dead and damaged homes of 980,000 residents, the provincial civil affairs bureau said Saturday.

The bureau said that most of the deaths were caused by mountain torrents, landslides and avalanches triggered by the rainstorms.

The bureau said local authorities are carrying out rescue work and handing out disaster relief goods, including providing quilts, rice and oil to the homeless.

The provincial observatory said more heavy downpours were likely to hit parts of Guizhou from Saturday to Monday.

Local governments are evacuating hundreds of residents away from areas prone to geological disasters.

Meanwhile, rainstorms have also wreaked havoc in east China's Anhui Province and the central province of Hunan.

Torrential downpours hit mid and southern parts of Anhui from Friday, triggering landslides in some area.

The Anhui provincial fire department said Saturday a part of the urban area of Anqing City was flooded on Friday. Firefighters and police had to use life rafts to rescue over 600 stranded residents.

A 20-month-old child died and her parents were injured on Saturday morning in Shaling Village, Wuhe Township in Yuexi County, because of a rain-triggered landslide, the local government said.

The Hunan Provincial Headquarters of Flood Control and Drought Relief said 317,300 people in the province have been relocated away from their homes in disaster-prone areas since Thursday.

Rainstorms since Wednesday also cut off power supply for 30,000 residents in Huangpi District of Wuhan, Hubei's capital. More than 1,200 workers were mobilized to repair the power line, and electricity did not resume until 6:30 p.m., the city's power supply service said.

According to the Central Meteorological Station, heavy rains will continue to hit major parts in provinces of Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou as well as Shanghai Municipality over the next 24 hours from 8 p.m. Saturday.