Cars washed away as floods wreak havoc in southern China

BEIJING (Reuters): Intense rains lashed a scenic area in China's southern Hunan province on Friday, unleashing flooding that swept away cars, engulfed farmland and prompted evacuations and rescues of stranded people.

China has recently been beset by a combination of heavy rainfall and sizzling hot temperatures that have taken a toll on its agriculture and power consumption.

Rains have pounded the Xiangxi area in Hunan since Thursday, with 314.5 mm of precipitation soaking Baojing County by 2 p.m., shattering a local record, state-backed media reported.

Roads in parts of Xiangxi area transformed into fast-flowing rivers that washed away dozens of vehicles, and firefighters used ropes and rubber dinghies to rescue marooned residents, videos circulating on Chinese Twitter-like Weibo showed.

The floods also triggered landslides and mudslides in nearby Guzhang County, causing damage to houses and crops, blocking roads and disrupting traffic, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Heavy rain was forecast to continue until around 8 a.m. on Saturday. No casualties have been reported.

China, prone to floods, is increasingly warning of more extreme weather due to climate change. - Reuters