NANNING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Seventeen people died and nine people went missing after heavy downpours hit southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said Wednesday.
More than 590,000 people have been affected by the week-long downpours, according to the latest update by the regional emergency management department.
A total of 1,747 houses have collapsed and 966 were severely damaged, forcing over 30,000 people to be relocated. Rain-triggered floods also damaged more than 34,600 hectares of crops, according to the department.
The provincial meteorological authorities on Wednesday maintained a yellow alert on heavy rain, predicting storms in cities including Guilin, Nanning and Baise.
Heavy rain starting last week has hit a number of provinces in China's southern region, including Guizhou, Guangdong, Hunan, Fujian and Jiangxi.
In southern China's Guangdong Province, floods and landslides have killed 13 people in the city of Heyuan as of Wednesday morning, while heavy rainstorms are predicted to continue through Friday.
In the eastern province of Jiangxi, rain-triggered floods have forced the evacuation of 212,000 people as of Wednesday evening. The provincial emergency management department said houses of 1,595 families have collapsed or were seriously damaged and 172,000 hectares of crops were destroyed.
The National Meteorological Center on Wednesday continued a yellow alert for rainstorms, saying rainstorms or heavy rains are expected in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Yunnan, Taiwan and Jilin.
Some southern regions will experience torrential rains, with precipitation up to 240 mm in parts of Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi and Fujian.
