M064-CHINA INUNDACIONES

Torrential rain continued across southern and central China on Tuesday (May 19) with at least 18 people killed in widespread flooding that also closed schools and businesses, and disrupted transport and power supplies, authorities said.

China's weather agency said areas of Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan faced a high risk of rain-related disasters, including landslides, flash floods and severe urban flooding and waterlogging.

Images shown on state broadcaster CCTV showed emergency personnel evacuating residents, collapsed roads, and military dispatched to clear rubble.

Authorities said they have allocated 150 million yuan ($22.04 million) for disaster relief and launched emergency responses in several affected areas.

The unusually large area of intense rainfall - spanning more than 1,000 km (621 miles) - was due to the convergence of abundant moisture from the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The slow-moving nature of the weather system also led to the high cumulative rainfall, according to Chinese meteorologists.

China's National Meteorological Centre said severe weather would gradually move east and south across China over the next two days. From Wednesday, the heaviest rainfall is expected along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.