The Ministry of Civil Affairs says torrential rain since Saturday has killed 35 people and left 24 missing. Eight people are trapped in a flooded coal mine in the southwestern province of Guizhou, where rescue operations are still underway. Meanwhile a dam broke in Hunan province, forcing more than 18,000 people to evacuate their homes.

The Central Meteorological Bureau has said torrential rain could hit large chunk of the country over the coming hours, from Shanghai to Gansu, and up to Liaoning in the Northeast. In some parts, precipitation is more than double previous years.

In Hunan province, Liu Jianhua was salvaging cloths. He started to head home as soon as he heard it was flooded. His mother was sleeping on the first floor, but was awaken by the rain. She quickly moved upstairs and was saved.

"The natural conditions have determined that there's no other way. First waiting for it to recede; second, we, the government, are settling residents elsewhere well," said local Party Secretary Peng Nanjing.

In Southwest China's Chongqing, water flooded this school, trapping nearly 300 teachers and students who were later evacuated to safety. In the city, CDC personnel were also dispatched.

"We mainly use chlorine disinfectant in residents and public areas."

Also, in the same municipality, a landslide blocked a river and formed a lake, threatening the lives more than 1,700 people. Armed police rushed to the site, bringing water levels down from 20 metres to about 6. But it's still dangerous.

In Southwest China's Guizhou, what looks like a lake is actually farmland.. 30 people were trapped, and a kayak, normally used for fishing, becomes a life-saving vessel. Its owner Jiang Jialin also joined in the rescue.

In Guizhou's Yanhe County, when fire fighters reached this village, they used this big basin to save a 10-day-old baby. Up north, in Chengde in Hebei province, hail pounded the region...vegetable plots were severely damaged.

"The hail lasted about half an hour, the biggest one not smaller than a Ping Pongg ball. The vegetables I grew are done for."

Local officials are contacting insurance companies and reporting to civil affairs authorities to minimize losses.

More than seven-and-a-half million people have been effected across 10 provinces since Saturday, resulting in economic losses totalling over 6.2 billion yuan.