New round of rain wreaks havoc in C China

CHANGSHA - One person was killed and the lives of another 270,000 people were affected after a new round of rain hit Central China's Hunan province, authorities said Wednesday.

The deceased victim died after a house collapsed due to a rain-triggered landslide that occurred in a village in Zhujiapu township in the city of Changde, said a spokesman from the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

The heavy rain, the second round of rain to hit the region in the last 10 days, toppled 1,760 houses and damaged 11,300 hectares of crops, the spokesman said.

Traffic in the provincial capital of Changsha was also affected, the spokesman said.

The second round of rain hampered disaster relief efforts following the first round of rainstorms, which hit most parts of the province from May 6 to 9, leaving seven people dead and affecting 420,000 others.

The provincial weather and hydrology departments said continuous heavy rain is expected for the following week, adding that the torrential rain may trigger floods and other disasters.