20,000 relocated after rainstorms hit China's Guangdong

GUANGZHOU - Torrential rains have hit South China's Guangdong province, unleashing floods and forcing the relocation of 20,096 people, local authorities said Tuesday.

The emergency management department of Guangdong said authorities on Monday delivered hundreds of tents, as well as clothes, bottled water and food, to the hard-hit cities of Zhaoqing and Qingyuan.

Local armed police have also mobilized personnel, vehicles and hovercraft to help evacuate residents and reinforce dams.

Local meteorological authorities have predicted heavy rain in many parts of Guangdong on Tuesday and said persistent and intense rain is to be expected during the local rainy season between May 21 and June 20.

Since the beginning of June, downpours have hit large parts of South China, bringing accumulated precipitation of 100 to 250 mm in some regions, the Ministry of Emergency Management said Sunday.

Affected by the rainstorms, 52 rivers in eight provincial-level regions, including Guangdong and Fujian provinces and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, had seen water levels exceed the warning line.