Heavy rains leave 38 dead, 2 missing in south China county

Rainfall-triggered disasters have left 38 people dead and two others missing in Pingyuan County in south China's Guangdong Province as of 3 p.m. Friday, local authorities said, Xinhua reports.

Heavy rains battered the county from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 16, triggering landslides, flooding and mud flows.

Since entering its flood season on April 4, Pingyuan's cumulative precipitation has reached 1,221.6 millimeters, almost double the normal level for the period in past years.

"This is the worst flooding the village has ever seen," said Qiu Zhimiao, 42, who is from Daxin Village in Pingyuan.

Preliminary statistics show that some 55,388 people in the county have been affected and 2,247 houses have collapsed. Direct economic losses are estimated at an approximate total of 5.85 billion yuan (about 822 million U.S. dollars).

Rescue, disaster-relief and post-disaster reconstruction efforts are underway.