Fifty-three people have died in accidents triggered by torrential rains over the past week in China, while another 28 were missing and 4,000 were stranded by floods.

The southwestern Guizhou Province was the worst hit, with 36 people killed by flash floods and 14 missing, followed by Hunan with seven deaths, Guangxi with four, Hubei and Jiangxi with three each, according to reports from various localities.

Tents, quilts and clothes have been sent to Wangmo County in Guizhou, which was severely hit by rain and floods.

About 46,000 people in the county were affected, including 11 deaths, eight missing and 14 injured. Hundreds of buildings were buried by landslides or inundated by floods, officials with the provincial government said.

The extreme weather also cut off highways and damaged telecom facilities in Wangmo.

In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where four people died and one was missing, 11 towns received more than 100 millimeters of rain between 8:00 PM on Tuesday and 11:00 AM on Wednesday.

The regional meteorological bureau has issued warnings against possible landslides and flash floods.

About 4,000 people were stranded on Wednesday by floods after rainstorms hit the eastern Jiangxi Province. Police have been mobilized to help with the rescue.

An official with the county government of Shangli in the eastern Jiangxi Province, said about 100,000 people were affected by the rainstorms and 17 villages were hit by floods.

Rainstorms developed in Jiangxi on Tuesday evening, with Shangli the worst affected. The county seat of Shangli recorded an unusual rain total of 391 mm as of 8:00 AM on Wednesday. Ten houses collapsed in the county and around 1,333 hectares of farmland were inundated.

Three villagers died and two were missing in Shangdong Village, Shuijiang Town, Yichun City, Jiangxi Province, where nine houses collapsed.

The China Meteorological Administration warned on Wednesday more rain would hit the eastern and southern parts of the country over the next three days.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters issued a warning urging provinces to keep a close watch on the changing weather and act to avert possible danger.

(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2008)