China's Guangdong Flood Death Toll Soared To 38 People

JAKARTA - The number of victims who died in the flood disaster due to heavy rains for days jumped to 38 out of nine people, Chinese state television reports, CCTV.

Heavy rains in the city of Meizhou in Guangdong province caused flash floods and landslides that destroyed thousands of houses, damaged roads, and disrupted communications and electricity supply.

"Two people are still missing in the Pingyuan Meizhou area," CCTV said.

South China has been hit by unusual rainfall in recent days following the start of the annual flood season earlier than usual.

The accumulation of rainfall in Pingyuan has reached 1,221.6 millimeters since April 4, more than double the normal number in the same period in previous years, CCTV said.

The number of deaths from annual floods in China in the summer has fallen sharply from the figure of thousands every year in the 1990s, as authorities stepped up flood control measures such as dam construction.

But extreme weather in recent years, including record-breaking rainfall, has left China vulnerable to major floods and disasters such as sudden landslides, frequent in mountainous areas but densely populated.

The task of controlling flooding in China is becoming increasingly difficult, President Xi Jinping previously called for all his might to save lives and property when a devastating storm hit China's southern provinces.