Central China rainstorms affect 24,000 people

CHANGSHA - A new round of heavy rainfalls have battered central China since Sunday, causing reservoirs to flood and dislodging more than 4000 people.

More than 243,000 people in Hunan province have been affected by the heavy precipitation, with 12 counties experiencing severe storms and 37 experiencing rainfall, Hunan provincial flood control authorities said on Tuesday.

In the worst-hit Tujia-Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Xiangxi, 28 small-size reservoirs overflowed and warnings about the water levels of surrounding major rivers issued.

The local government has relocated more than 4,400 people.

This comes shortly after the heaviest rainfalls, since meteorological records began, hit the nearby town of Fenghuang on July 15. One-third of the town was inundated by floods more than one meter deep.

Heavy rain and regional rainstorms are predicted to continue in the southern part of Hunan on Tuesday and Wednesday.