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 the central Hubei Province, where three people were killed by the strong lightning, 49 cities and counties were hit by the continuous rains. In Changyang County, the rainfall reached as much as 116 millimeters.

Government officials in the central Hunan Province were mapping out prevention plans to ward off the possible flood danger.

The continuous rains have been playing havoc in extensive areas in Hunan, disrupting traffic and cutting off power supplies in some townships.

In earthquake-battered Sichuan Province, the local meteorological observatory warned the forecast high wind could bring trouble to the tents set up for those who had lost their homes. It also said that loose stones rocking in the wind would pose danger to transport in the mountainous areas.

The Zhejiang Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters issued an emergency rain warning on Wednesday, urging the local governments to keep a close watch on the possible floods, as the eastern province had been soaked by heavy rain since Tuesday night.

The local meteorological observatory said a new round of torrential rains were expected in the next 24 hours.

In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where four people died and one was missing, 11 towns received more than 100 mm of rain between 8 p.m. on Tuesday and 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

The regional meteorological bureau 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 a.m. on Wednesday. Ten houses collapsed in the county and around 1,333 hectares of farmland was inundated.

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

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters launched a Level-Three emergency response plan on Wednesday to address the possible flood disaster brought by the torrential rains.

According to the plan, three inspection teams were set up to supervise the flood relief work in several provinces, including Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi.

E Jingping, the secretary general of the headquarters, urged local governments to strengthen their monitoring of the floods and act to avert possible danger.

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

(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2008)