At least 33 people have lost their lives and some 12 others are missing as rain and hailstorms struck southern parts of China, officials say, Press TV reported.
An unnamed Civil Affairs Ministry official and the National Committee for Disaster Reduction said on Thursday that since May 14 rainstorms have caused flooding and landslides in some provinces including Guangdong.
On the same day, the Guangdong Provincial Flood Prevention and Drought Relief Headquarters issued a statement saying that over 2,600 houses were destroyed and some 650,000 people in the province were affected by the heavy rains.
Zhang Dong, a chief forecaster with the Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Station, said that the rainstorms will continue until Friday morning in the province, adding that the "heavy rainfall in a short time and prolonged precipitation in some areas can easily trigger flooding and landslides."
In July 2012, at least 12 people were killed and one went missing in flooding caused by torrential downpours which hit most areas of southwestern and northern China.
Twenty-four people lost their lives and 40 others were injured after torrential rains struck the Minxian county in China's northwestern Gansu Province in May 2012.