Floods hit southern China, thousands evacuated

Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated in southern China due to major flooding, with more rain expected.

The manufacturing hub of Guangdong suspended classes, office work and public transport due to rising waters and the threat of landslides. Nearly 500,000 people have seen damage to their homes and their lives in the neighbouring province of Jiangxi.

The same number have been affected in Guangdong, mainly in the cities of Meizhou, Heyuan and Shaoguan.

More rain is forecast for the coming days as heavy rainfall has collapsed roads in some parts of cities and swept away houses, cars and crops.

The Chinese authorities issued the first red alert, the most severe warning, for possible mountain torrents on Sunday. In Zhejiang province a little further north, rescue crews in inflatable boats brought out residents trapped in their homes in in inundated villages.

During the summer months, China experiences a lot of flooding, most often in central and southern areas that tend to get the most rainfall.

This year's flooding is the worst in decades in some areas and comes on top of strict Covid 19 regulations that have strangled travel, employment and ordinary life in much of the country.

In 1998, China's worst floods were in 1998, when more than 2,000 people died and almost 3 m homes were destroyed, mostly along the Yangtze River, China's mightiest river.

The government has invested heavily in flood control and hydroelectric projects such as the massive Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River.

More intense tropical storms are on the rise due to climate change, leading to increased flooding that threatens lives, crops and groundwater.