China floods, landslides kill 39 as Rumbia approaches Guangdong, Hainan

Floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain in China have left at least 39 people dead since the weekend, state media reported on Tuesday, warning of more downpours to come.

Another 13 people were still missing in nine affected areas, including the southwestern province of Sichuan and Inner Mongolia in the north, the China Daily said, citing the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The National Meteorological Centre had warned that rainstorms would hit parts of the Sichuan Basin, north and northeast China, areas along the Yellow and Huaihe rivers and some western provinces on Monday and Tuesday.

Rumbia, the sixth tropical storm in China this year, was also approaching the coastal provinces of Guangdong and Hainan in the south, it added.

Rumbia brought heavy rain and strong winds to an annual pro-democracy march in Hong Kong on Monday. On Saturday, four children drowned in rough seas churned up by the storm when it passed over the Philippines.

China is prone to rainstorms during spring and summer. Last year 673 people were killed and 159 went missing in floods across the country.