4 killed, 500,000 people affected in heavy rains in China

Four persons were killed in a rainstorm that has lashed south China for days and affected lives of nearly half a million residents, local flood control authorities said today.
According to the provincial flood prevention centre, the rain that started in Guangdong Province on Sunday, has wrecked havoc in 184 counties or townships in eight cities, cutting off roads, damaging bridges and toppling residential homes, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Four persons were killed and nearly 500,000 residents affected due to the persistent rainstorm, the centre said, adding that over 20,000 hectares of farmland has been flooded.
Water levels in some rivers have risen to an alarming point, and rain-triggered floods have forced 30 enterprises in Jiaoling County to suspend production.

Meteorological experts warn that two rounds of fresh rainstorms are expected over the next 10 days, making flood control in the province even more problematic.