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China Floods Kill 171, More Rain Expected


China has ordered workers and soldiers to strengthen levies in southern China, as forecasters warn that more than 40 rivers are exceeding their warning levels.

State meteorologists say more rain is expected in the coming days, where floods have already killed at least 171 people this year.

Torrential rains have battered eastern and southern China during the past week, and forced about 1.3 million others to flee their homes. Chinese officials say that while summer flooding has become a regular event, some areas have received record amounts of rainfall.

Officials say there is also a forecast of flooding along the Yellow River, which runs through northern China.

The prosperous southern province of Guangdong has been the hardest hit in recent days. China's official Xinhua news agency says rains have killed at least 20 people there. Xinhua says the flooding in the Pearl River Delta is the worst in 50 years.

Rains in the delta have washed away some roads and submerged farmland across nine provinces. Many areas have been hit by landslides.

Television footage shows people rowing boats in towns along the Xijiang River in southern China. Sichuan province, which is still reeling from a May 12 earthquake, also has been affected by the heavy rains.


Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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