China's Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters says downpours have left 22 people dead and 15 others missing in southern China since Saturday. Storms have hit most of the southern regions since the weekend, pushing water levels in rivers to dangerous heights and forcing the evacuation of nearly 270 thousand people. 

Some 10 thousand houses collapsed and over 300 thousand hectares of crops have been damaged. Combined losses in the region have been estimated at more than 1 billion US dollars. Torrential rain is forecast to continue in the south over the next few days. An emergency response has been initiated.