55 dead, 14 missing in S China storms

BEIJING - Fifty-five people have died and 14 others were reported missing in the latest round of rain- and hailstorms that have swept south China, according to official statistics collected as of 8 pm Friday.

Hardest-hit Guangdong province reported 36 deaths and 10 missing persons, according to the National Committee for Disaster Reduction.

Firefighters transfer an injured woman to a safe place after flooding hit Gongcheng county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on May 16, 2013. Since Tuesday, rainstorms have triggered flooding and landslides in some parts of South China, leaving 33 dead and 12 missing. [Photo/Xinhua]

At 8 pm Friday, the National Committee for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs initiated emergency response for storms and flooding in Hunan Province that have already affected 1.59 million people and claimed three lives. The committee also dispatched 3,000 tents to affected areas.

Civil affairs and disaster reduction authorities in Hunan have also sent relief materials including tents, blankets and bottled water to the affected areas.

Ten provincial localities in south China have been affected by the fresh round of storms and flooding that began on Tuesday, including Anhui, Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi and Sichuan.