Three missing in SW China floods

GUIYANG - Three people remain missing after rain-triggered floods in Southwest China's Guizhou province, local authorities said on Friday.

From 8 am Thursday to 8 am Friday, heavy rain hit more than 100 townships in Guizhou, said the provincial meteorological bureau.

In the small hours of Friday, villages in Jiuchao township, Liping county, were inundated and residents were trapped in their homes. Electric power and telecommunications were disrupted and roads were cut off, according to the county's publicity office.

Liu Shanping, the Communist Party of China chief of Jiuchao village, and two villagers were swept away by the flood water when Liu attempted to rescue the two trapped people.

Rescuers are searching for the three while relocating the affected villagers to safety.

The provincial meteorological bureau warned of a new round of rain from Friday to Saturday, which is likely to cause floods and mudslides.

The National Meteorological Center on Friday forecast rain for Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, Guizhou, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Hebei regions on Friday and Saturday.

Storms in south and east China have disrupted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people over the past two weeks, damaging crops and forcing many to evacuate.