At least 56 people have been killed and many are missing as heavy rains battered the southern part of the country, flooding rivers and towns. Power was also cut off and traffic halted at the various places.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs said, almost 10 million people have been affected due to strong rains. It said, water in major rivers and lakes in the southern province of Hunan have surged to alarming levels, and the collapse of levees forced large- scale evacuations.