14 killed, 45,000 displaced in China floods

Flood waters inundated large areas of a southwest China province, killing 14 people and forcing evacuation of at least 45,000 residents. 35 people are said to be missing.

The Wangmo county of Guizhou province was inundated by flood waters on Monday, disrupting power and water supplies and telecommunication services in several towns, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the county's officials as saying.

The floods have forced evacuation of at least 45,000 residents in the county while 3,000 others remained stranded. The floods damaged 5,500 hectares of cropland, washed away more than 500 vehicles, toppled 100 homes and destroyed roads and bridges, the report said.

The local government has mobilised more than 330 soldiers and policemen to clean up roads hoping to restore traffic for students going to the national college entrance exam on Tuesday.

Rain-triggered floods have so far hit 11 cities and counties across Guizhou province, affecting at least 270,000 people, the provincial civil affairs bureau said.

The local weather bureau said the first round of continuous downpours began on June 3.