A total of 1,409 vehicles were flooded after water from a rainstorm poured into 35 underground garages of Guangzhou City, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, municipal authorities said Tuesday night.

In the worst-hit Tianhe District, 24 underground garages were flooded, leaving 1,139 vehicles flooded, said Ouyang Ming, deputy head of the municipal water authorities.

"Guangzhou has nearly 10,000 underground garages. Only a small fraction were flooded," he said.

Car owners are seeking compensation from garage and insurance companies.

Car owners of Kangcheng residential estate are demanding the management company that runs the garage compensate them. More than 370 vehicles, including some luxury cars, were flooded in the storm.

A car owner spokesman surnamed Hu said they would negotiate with the the agency. A spokesman for the agency said legal procedures were necessary and the agency would fulfill its lawful obligations.

Flooded vehicles covered by fully comprehensive insurance plans were entitled to compensation, said Yin Jiangao, a spokesman for China Insurance Regulatory Commission's Guangdong Bureau.

Guangdong's insurance companies have received 18,240 claims regarding vehicles damaged in the storm, he added.

But insurance company workers said most car owners were not likely to be fully compensated.

Car owner spokesman Hu said: "The repair bill will be at least 150,000 yuan, but the insurance company will only compensate 100,000. Who will cover the gap?"

(Xinhua News Agency May 12, 2010)