China facing flood, landslide risks amid heavy rain: weather bureau

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Large parts of China are expected to face torrential rain and thunderstorms until Thursday, with some regions at risk of flooding and landslides, the country’s weather bureau said on Tuesday. China’s National Meteorological Center said the rain would hit regions like Yunnan and Tibet in the far west and then move east. Yunnan and Guangdong on the southeast coast were facing rainfall of 100-160 millimetres. Heavy rain is forecast to reach Inner Mongolia, northern China and the northeast by Friday, it said. The state-run bureau urged local governments to take action to cut off hazardous external power sources and work to prevent floods, landslides and mudslides in vulnerable regions. Typhoon Ewiniar hit southeast China last week, causing landslides that killed five people, according to the Xinhua news agency. Around 73,000 residents have been relocated, and total economic losses stood at nearly 300 million yuan (35.11 million pounds) , Xinhua said.