At least 46 people have been killed and more than 120,000 evacuated as heavy storms continue to sweep through southern China.

Among the flood-ravaged provinces East China's Fujian has been hardest hit with 26 people killed since May 29, Li Baojun, an official in charge of disaster relief with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said yesterday.

"Besides the deaths, 60,000-70,000 people have been relocated after their houses collapsed or were damaged by floods or rainfall," said Li. "The ministry has allocated 2,500 tents and the provincial government has donated 6 million yuan (US$739,800) in disaster relief funds for local people."

In Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province, roads were blocked in 26 places by a series of landslides, causing an estimated loss of 1.05 million yuan (US$129,500) to the local economy, reported local newspaper Fuzhou Daily. By Monday morning the roads had been cleared and traffic returned to normal.

Meanwhile in South China's Guangdong Province 11 people died in floods and 60,000-70,000 were evacuated, said Li.

Gales and hailstorms have also passed through some parts of Southwest China's Guizhou Province and Chongqing Municipality.

And the current collision of cold and warm air currents also threatens to bring heavy rainfall to other parts of the country over the coming days, the Central Meteorological Office warned yesterday.

Rain will linger in southern Guizhou, southern and central Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, most parts of Fujian, central and northern Guangxi and Guangdong, the office added.

(China Daily June 7, 2006)