Rainstorms hit southwest China, 2 dead

At least two people have lost their lives while hundreds of acres of cropland have been destroyed after heavy rains lashed parts of Guizhou Province, local authorities said on Saturday.

A township in Yanhe Tujia Autonomous County received the maximum precipitation of 176.8 mm as of Saturday afternoon, according to Xinhua. 751 hectares of crops and infrastructure have been damaged, while four people are also reported to be missing.

An economic loss of at least USD 2.2 million has been sustained. Train services have also been disrupted, while people are unable to move out of cities like Bazhong, Nanchong and Dazhou due to damaged roads.

Northern, central and southern parts of Guizhou were forecast to receive rain until Saturday night while the rains are expected to last until Sunday in the western part of the province.

200 tents and 2,000 quilts have been dispatched to the affected areas by the Sichuan provincial emergency management department.

Rainstorms are expected to hit the cities of Guilin, Liuzhou, Hechi and Baise in the next 24 hours.

The eastern province of Jiangxi also received heavy rainfall. The rain is forecast to stay until Wednesday in the region, while precipitation levels are expected to touch 250 mm during the time.