The rains swelled several rivers, including Panlong River. The floodwaters poured over the banks of the Panlong River that crosses into downtown Kunming.

Trains from cities such as Shanghai, Xiamen and Nanjing were delayed, but trains departing from Kunming departed on time, said Kunming Railway Bureau.

Rao Wenjing rushed to the Kunming Changshui International Airport in the morning, but was informed that his flight's attendants were still stuck in downtown Kunming because of the rain.

Guo Peisong, a spokesman for Yunnan Airport Group, said most flights were not affected by the deluge, though some passengers were stuck in the city and couldn't catch their flights.

The drainage system had some problems, Zhao Sidong, general manager of Kunming Drainage Management Co, was quoted by China News Service as saying.

Zhang Tianxin, Party chief of Kunming, said over the past four years, the city has focused on drought relief by storing available water resources. They did not, however, devote a great deal of effort to flood control measures.

Zhang said the city's urban planning and underground drainage system have flaws and were unable to draw off floodwaters.

"The government will spend more to solve the problem," Zhang said.

As estimated by the Meteorological Bureau of Kunming, the province will experience extreme weather systems, such as hails and rainstorms, in the next few weeks, which could cause more flooding and landslides.