Torrential rain triggers disaster in China

Beijing: Continuous torrential rains since Friday have affected some 40,000 people in China`s southwestern Guizhou province.

Heavy rains lashed 142 townships, swamping farmland, damaging houses, forcing evacuation of people and causing direct economic losses estimated at $2.7 million, reports Xinhua news agency.

The authorities sent relief goods to the affected areas.

Rains hit most parts of China`s central, eastern and southern regions over the weekend. The Central Meteorological Station on Monday maintained rainstorm alerts for a third consecutive day in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei and Guizhou provinces.

Typhoon Merbok, the second typhoon of the year, is forecast to hit the southern province of Guangdong on Monday evening, intensifying rainstorms in southern and eastern provinces.