The continuous rain in northwest and southwest China have caused many deaths and the bad weather is likely to stick around for a while, officials said Tuesday.

Torrential rains continue to pose danger in much of the country

The torrential rains have damaged roads and homes, and left many residents without a steady source of food and drinking water.

At least 42 people were killed and at least 13 remain missing as of Monday afternoon in Gansu Province after heavy rain pounded the region for more than two weeks.

The National Meteorological Center said Tuesday that southwest and south China would be hit by heavy rain over the coming three days.

The Three Gorges section of the Yangtze River registered yet a new peak in the water level Tuesday when it climbed to 153.3 meters at 2 pm, and exceeded the 145-meter flood warning level, the Yangtze River Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said in a statement.

The floods in Gansu triggered the collapse of more than 30,000 houses and some 110,000 others were damaged. In addition, nearly 60,000 hectares of crops are covered in water, according to the provincial government.

Xian Xiong, deputy director of the transport department in Sichuan Province, said Tuesday that as many as 3,453 kilometers of roads in the province were destroyed by water since August 12 with a direct economic loss of 2.85 billion yuan ($419 million).

The floods destroyed 215 reservoirs in Sichuan and disrupted the lives of some 9.4 million residents, said Hu Yun, deputy director of the Sichuan provincial water resources department.

Yingxiu township in Wenchuan county was also hit by a mudslide. The area was also devastated during the May 12, 2008 earthquake.

Ding Liang, a restaurant manager of Beichuan county, said the flood had destroyed many roads, and he could hardly get food. "A guest ordered a course of fried eggs in my restaurant, but I had to refuse him because the eggs in my kitchen were used up, and I haven't been able to buy any eggs for more than a week in the market," he said.

The Sichuan authorities had provided thousands of quilts, tents, more than 55,000 pieces of clothes, and food items worth more than 12 million yuan ($1.7 million) to people affected by floods, according to China News Service.