Storms, floods kill 29 in southern China-report

BEIJING, June 5 (Reuters) Rainstorms and floods have killed 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes in southern China, state media reported today, and weather forecasts offered little hope of relief.

In Fujian province, floods killed 22, destroyed 19,000 homes and forced the evacuation of over 50,000 people, the China Daily said.

Landslides killed seven people in neighbouring Guangdong's Meizhou city, with heavy rains destroying 784 homes and damaging 15,000 hectares of cropland.

Weather forecasts predicted more heavy rains would pound southern China over the next 10 days.

''Heavy rains from 50-150 millimetres (1.97-5.91 inches) will sweep over central, south and southwest China,'' the People's Daily newspaper quoted a weather bureau official as saying. ''(It) may reach more than 200 millimetres (7.87 inches) in a few areas.'' The official China news agency Xinhua reported last week that up to the end of May, floods this year had killed 59 and affected 19 million people nationwide. Over 71,000 houses had been destroyed and direct economic losses were estimated at 13 billion yuan (1.62 billion dollar).

South China is regularly plagued by heavy rains and floods at this time of year, causing deaths and widespread damage to crops and infrastructure.

Reuters PDS VP0716