Six killed in Chinese floods

Heavy rains in southern China triggered floods that killed six people and forced the evacuation of 150,000 residents, state media reported today.

About 100,000 people were evacuated from Lechang city in Guangdong province after heavy rains late yesterday pushed up the water level of the Wujiang River, setting off a flood alert, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Four people were killed in the city of Shenzhen and two others in Shaoguan, it said. Four others were missing in Heyuan, Qingyuan and Shaoguan, Xinhua said.

Provincial disaster officials said up to 10.6 inches of rain fell over a 12-hour period starting last night, flooding cities throughout Guangdong.

Shenzhen officials reported that more than 300 locations in the city were submerged and reservoirs had to open sluices to lower their water levels, Xinhua said.

In nearby Guangxi province, more than 50,000 residents were displaced after rainstorms pummelled Liuzhou city starting Thursday. Nearly 800,000 people in the city were affected by floods and about 100 elementary and middle schools had to suspend classes, Xinhua said.