Heavy rains, landslides hit China, at least 18 die

ABOVE: See the effects of the devastating rains which have blanketed much of Southern China

BEIJING – Heavy rains have killed at least 18 people in southern China and a state news agency said six more were missing Thursday after a landslide.

Southern China was also bracing for the arrival of Typhoon Rammasun on Friday, with wind gusts expected to surpass 140 kilometres per hour (90 mph). The typhoon has left at least 40 dead in the Philippines, where it uprooted trees and downed electrical posts Wednesday.

The government’s Xinhua News Agency said lightning strikes killed six people in Jiangxi province. Three days of rains in neighbouring Hunan province triggered landslides that killed five, and another seven deaths were reported in Guizhou province.

Also in Guizhou, a landslide buried a village near the city of Bijie, leaving six people missing.

Flooding also has hit the southwestern province of Yunnan and the southern region of Guangxi. Chinese state television showed flooding threatening the ancient city of Fenghuang in Hunan province, with a historic arched bridge barely emerging from floodwaters.

The rains cut off power to nearly 300,000 homes in the cities of Tongren, Zunyi and Bijie, Xinhua reported. The rains reached the capital, Beijing, on Wednesday night and flooded some streets.