Flash flood death toll in south China hits 52

BEIJING, June 16 (Reuters) The death toll from flash floods in southwestern China's Guizhou province has risen to 52, with another 20 still missing, the official Xinhua news agency said.

South China is regularly hit by floods and typhoons in the summer, but state media reports say this year's rainfall has been unusually high.

Guizhou was lashed by rainstorms on Monday night that led to flash floods.

The nearby provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi and Jiangxi had taken the brunt of the rainstorms since late May, with floods, landslides and house collapses killing about 100 people and forcing the evacuation of hundred of thousands.

While floods hit the southern provinces, where rain is forecast until late June, northeast China has been suffering from a prolonged drought.

REUTERS SB RK1718