Heavy downpours affect 200,000 in east China

NANCHANG -- Heavy downpours that started on Wednesday have killed four people and affected some 196,000 in East China's Jiangxi province, local authorities said Friday.

Four people in Hukeng township of Anfu county were killed by a rain-triggered landslide. Rainstorms have also forced the evacuation of more than 4,600 people and led to the collapse of 100-plus houses, according to the provincial civil affairs department.

Rain has also damaged nearly 600 houses and 12,500 hectares of cropland in Jiangxi, the department said.

Heavy downpours are expected to continue to hit the province until June 1.

Downpours from May 18 to 23 left 11 people dead and four others missing in the province.

Heavy rainfall also hit neighboring Hubei province from Thursday to Friday.

Six flights heading for the provincial capital of Wuhan were forced to make an emergency landing due to a thunderstorm on Friday afternoon.

The National Meteorological Center issued a warning on Friday saying that heavy downpours will lash the provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Guangdong as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from Friday to Saturday.