The weather observation department issued a blue alert for rainstorms on Monday, indicating more heavy rain in northern and southwestern China over the next three days.

Since Saturday night, at least 39 people have died and 13 people have been reported missing from flooding or landslides caused by heavy rain in nine regions, especially Sichuan and Anhui provinces and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The National Meteorological Center issued a blue alert for rainstorms on Monday - in the color-coded warning system for severe weather, red is the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The center said downpours will hit parts of the Sichuan Basin, North and Northeast China and areas along the Yellow and Huaihe rivers, as well as Gansu, Shaanxi and Yunnan provinces in the west, on Monday and Tuesday. Some areas will have rainfall of 100 to 160 mm.

The center added that Rumbia, the sixth tropical storm in China this year, is moving toward coastal areas in Guangdong and Hainan provinces.

In Sichuan province, five people have died and four others were missing as of 2 pm on Monday after torrential rain triggered flooding and landslides, according to the local government emergency response office.

Xinhua and Wang Kaihao in Hohhot contributed to this story.

(China Daily 07/02/2013 page3)