Landslide in Guangxi destroys houses; 2 dead

Two people died when their house collapsed in a landslide in Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the local government said on Sunday.

The landslide, which was triggered by heavy rain crushed a residential house on Sunday morning in Hechi's Jinchengjiang district.

Starting on May 30, downpours have swept most places of the region, which has issued an orange flood alert, the second-highest level, on Saturday. It heightened its emergency response for heavy rain to the second-highest level as well on Sunday.

The regional meteorological department predicts that heavy rains will continue until Wednesday.

As of Saturday, more than 320,000 people were affected, with 61 houses collapsing. Direct economic losses have exceeded 300 million yuan ($42 million), according to the provincial emergency management department.

In the worst-hit region, Guilin city, cruise ships were suspended on the Lijiang River because of floodwaters.

Shi Ruipeng in Nanning contributed to this story.