Floods Kill 57 in China, Nearly 1.3 Million Flee

Chinese state meteorologists say heavy rains are likely to worsen floods that have killed at least 57 people and forced about 1.3 million others to flee their homes.

Torrential rains have battered eastern and southern China over the past week. The prosperous southern province of Guangdong has been the hardest-hit. China's official Xinhua news agency says rains have killed at least 20 people there.

Xinhua says the flooding in the Pearl River delta is the worst in 50 years. It says the rains have washed away some roads and submerged farmland across nine provinces. Many areas have been hit by landslides.

More rain is expected in the area over the next 10 days.

Television footage showed people rowing boats in towns along the Xijiang River in southern China. Sichuan province, which is still reeling from a May 12 earthquake, also has been affected by the heavy rains.



Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.