Guangdong Province is on high alert for possible floods as water levels in two major rivers have surpassed warning lines, setting up a flood control frontline headquarters Thursday (June 23).

The province was expected to see first flood crests of the Xijiang River and Beijiang River, both tributaries of the Pearl River, on Thursday night.

The water level of the Beijiang River has been rising, which reached 12.69 meters at 8 a.m. Thursday, 0.69 meters above the warning line, according to the observation by a local hydrologic station.

Zhang Dejiang, secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPC, required all cities to keep eyes wide open against floods in an urgent notice issued all over the province Thursday morning.

Heavy rains hit eight cities and counties in Guangdong over recent days, including Guangzhou, Heyuan, Shaoguan, Huizhou, Qingyuan and Yunfu, affecting more than 100 townships with 530,000 residents. About 36 died and 15 were missing. Some 35,000 soldiers were dispatched to rescue work and 100,000 people were evacuated.

At least 80 people were dead and 38 were missing from torrential rains and floods swamping southern China, leading to the evacuation of nearly 700,000 people by Thursday. Millions of people have been affected.

The Civil Affairs Ministry issued a "Level Three" alert calling on the establishment of a joint ministerial task force to address the disaster that has hit Guangxi and the nearby provinces of Guangdong and Fujian hardest.

Some 23 were missing in a landslide in Fujian Province, on Thursday.

The State meteorological bureau predicted that a rain belt over southern China would be in place at least through Friday and possibly longer.

The new casualty figures brought the reported death toll from heavy rains and flooding in China since May to more than 440.
 
Editor: Yan