BEIJING, May 11 (UPI) -- Meteorologists warned heavy rains could cause landslides in southern China where storms killed at least 70 people and forced thousands of others to evacuate.
The China Meteorological Administration said Monday rain -- forecast to last three days -- already had triggered flash flooding, mud and rock slides, swollen rivers and burst dikes, Xinhua reported Tuesday.
About 145,000 residents have been evacuated since Wednesday, when rains began flooding southern China, the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said in a statement. Officials said most of the deaths were attributable to mud and landslides and collapsed housing.
The affected area includes the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hunan, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chongqing municipality, some of which experienced severe drought conditions earlier this year, Xinhua said.
Officials said Guangdong province was one of the hardest-hit areas, with at least 19 residents reported killed and six missing. More than 80,000 residents were evacuated and 10,174 homes collapsed.
