Guangdong lifts flood warning

At least 53 killed and some still missing in southern China since Tuesday

Authorities in Guangdong province lifted a flood warning on Friday morning, after dozens of people were killed and wounded due to days of rainstorms across South China.

Since Tuesday, rainstorms have triggered flooding and landslides in the area, leaving 53 dead and some reported missing, China News Service reported on Friday.

The southern province of Guangdong was the hardest hit by rainstorms. As of 11 am on Friday, the province had reported 38 deaths, local civil affairs authorities said.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs sent work teams to the hardest-hit areas in Guangdong province on Thursday night to guide the relief work.

But the level-three emergency alert, which was issued on Wednesday, was lifted as the water levels in most rivers across the province dropped following an easing in rainfall, a notice issued by the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said on Friday.

A level-three emergency warning refers to a relatively serious natural disaster, according to local regulations.

Rainstorms battered nine cities in Guangdong, including the provincial capital city of Guangzhou, triggering heavy flooding in some mountainous areas in Guangdong's northern and eastern parts.

A total of 884,000 people in the province have been affected and 2,675 houses have been destroyed, Xinhua News Agency reported.

A new round of heavy rainfall is expected to hit most parts of Guangdong starting on Saturday night, according to local meteorological authorities.

"The heavy rainfall in a short time and prolonged precipitation in some areas can easily trigger flooding and landslides," said Zhang Dong, a chief forecaster with the Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Station.

Zhong Yongmin, a resident in Shixing county in northern Guangdong, said many houses in the area were flooded on Thursday night.

"Water in the river running in front of my house surpassed the normal level. We were afraid to go out," said Zhong, 51.

According to Zhong, classes at a primary school near his home were suspended on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the torrential rain that started in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Thursday has caused five deaths. Three were killed in the landslide caused by the rainstorm, one person drowned and another was electrocuted by a street light.

According to Zeng Demeng, a paramilitary officer who was involved in the rescue operations, floodwater reached over a meter high in a number of roads and tunnels in Xiamen.

The heavy rain has wreaked havoc on some 600 residential buildings and trapped more than 800 people and 100 cars.

Sun Li in Fuzhou and Ou Hailin in Beijing contributed to this story.