Floods in southern China have forced hundreds of thousands to flee

• thousands of people in China have been evacuated after unrelenting rains caused floods.
• The region is experiencing its heaviest rainfall since 1961.
• Forecasters warn the situation might worsen as more rain is forecast for the north of the country.

As rivers overflowed and floodwater levels reached a 50-year high on Tuesday, two provinces raised flood warnings in China.

Videos on state media show people being rescued by ropes across raging rivers and automobiles being washed down streets.

According to weather experts, the region is experiencing its heaviest rainfall since 1961.

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People who live in low-lying neighbourhoods and near river banks have been asked to relocate to higher land.

One of the worst hit cities is Shaoguan in Guangdong province, which prompted officials to elevate the flood alert to the highest level after the city experienced record rainfall since late May. For the city of Qingyuan in Guangdong, a similar alarm was issued.

Rain has affected supply networks in the low-lying Pearl basin, which surrounds Guangdong and Guangxi. Manufacturing and shipping were already struggling as a result of stringent anti-Covid regulations.

According to Xinhua News, authorities in Jiangxi province in northeastern China have issued a flood alert after 485,000 residents in nine districts were reportedly affected.

According to Xinhua, 43,300 hectares of crops were damaged, resulting in economic losses estimated at 470 million yuan ($70.2 million, £57 million).

Local officials have warned the situation is likely to worsen over the coming days and will continue to elevate water levels in the Pearl River basin.

The average rainfall in the provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, and Guangxi between early May and mid-June was 621 millimetres, the highest amount since 1961, according to China’s National Meteorological Center.

Flooding is a common occurrence throughout the summer rainy season in southern China, but there are worries that the problem may be getting worse due to climate change.

However, the rain is expected to arrive next in the north of the country, where several locations are already enjoying extremely high temperatures.

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