Heavy rains caused record floods and landslides in China’s southern province of Guangdong, killing at least 47 people, state media reported on Friday, while authorities warned of more extreme weather events in other parts of the country.
State-run CCTV reported on Friday afternoon that 38 more deaths had been confirmed in a county under the jurisdiction of Meizhou city, adding to the nine deaths previously reported elsewhere in the city.
Heavy rains caused landslides, floods and mudslides, causing extensive damage in eight townships in Pingyuan county, where the latest deaths were reported, CCTV reported. The heaviest day was Sunday, with an average rainfall of 199mm (7.83 inches), with one township getting 365.7mm (14.4 inches). It was unclear from the report when the deaths occurred.
The extreme weather caused destruction of about 356 kilometers (221 miles) of roads, damage to more than 100 bridges, and flooding of farmland.
The previous day, CCTV reported four deaths in Meixian District, Meizhou city, and five deaths in Suling County.
The heaviest rains fell from Sunday into Tuesday, downing trees and destroying houses. Roads leading to Meixian district were completely destroyed by the downpours. The Songyuan River, which runs through Meizhou, experienced its strongest flooding on record, CCTV reported.
Direct economic losses in Ziling County are estimated at 3.65 billion yuan ($502 million), and in Mei County at 1.06 billion yuan ($146 million).
Other parts of the country are expected to be hit by heavy rains and extreme weather over the next 24 hours, with the National Meteorological Centre issuing warnings for several southern states and some northern districts.
Forecasters said hail and heavy thunderstorms were expected in the central provinces of Henan and Anhui, coastal Jiangsu and southern Guizhou. Henan, Anhui and Hubei provinces could see daily rainfall of 50-80 mm (1.9-3.14 in), according to the National Meteorological Center.
Heavy rains last week caused landslides and floods in southern Fujian province and Guangxi, where one student died after falling into a swollen river.
