Thousands affected by China's spring flooding

Spring flooding known as the "peach blossom flood" has affected 58,000 people in central China, forcing 360 to be evacuated, local authorities said.

The flood control and drought relief headquarters of Hunan Province said Tuesday that persistent rain and floods have toppled 29 houses and inundated about 2,000 hectares of farmland in seven counties.

The province has seen torrential downpours since Saturday, which swelled the Xiangjiang River, a tributary of China's longest river, the Yangtze, and prompted the issuing of flood alerts on Monday.

The provincial meteorological authority said the rain is expected to subside in two days.

The floods coincide with and are named after the flowering of peach blossoms between March and April. The floods plague the basins of the Yangtze and the Yellow River. Endite