SHANGHAI • Houses and cars were left submerged in floodwaters following heavy rainfall in Taihe county in China's south-eastern Jiangxi province on Monday.

At least five people were killed, while thousands were stranded amid torrential rain throughout central and southern China, with the authorities bracing themselves for at least another four days of downpour, state media said yesterday. The heavy rain began last Thursday.

The official China Daily said floods had wiped out 10,800ha of crops and destroyed hundreds of houses in Jiangxi province by Monday, with a total of 1.4 million people affected and direct economic losses amounting to 2.65 billion yuan (S$520 million).

In the region of Guangxi in the south-west, 20,000 households had their power supply cut, while roads, bridges and other infrastructure were severely damaged, said the China Daily.

Rainfall in Jiangxi reached as much as 688mm, according to a notice by China's meteorological administration. It added that rainfall levels in parts of Jiangxi and Hunan had also hit record highs for the month of June.

The administration said that rainstorms were expected to spread to Guangdong, Fujian, Yunnan and Sichuan, as well as Taiwan, by tomorrow.

It also warned the authorities to be on their guard against severe thunderstorms and the possibility of small rivers bursting their banks in the coming days.

REUTERS