Storms sweep central and southwest China, nine die

BEIJING, July 2 (Reuters) Downpours over the weekend killed at least nine people in central and southwest China, regions battered by storms last month, state media said today, while an official warned of flood threats in coming weeks.

Worst hit was the central province of Hubei, where seven people were swept away by flash floods triggered by torrential rains since Friday, the People's Daily said.

More rainstorms were expected to hit parts of Hubei and Sichuan, both along the Yangtze, China's longest river, today and tmorrow, the National Meteorological Centre forecast on its Web site (www.nmc.gov.cn).

The flood season in southern China, usually running from May to September, is notoriously deadly. The country's southeastern provinces expect more damage during the typhoon and tropical storm season that extends to October.

An official from the China Meteorological Administration, Song Lianchun, said heavy rains in July could also spark floods along the Huai River, which flows through eastern China.

Rains there and in Sichuan could be as much as double the average, Song told a news briefing reported on the official government Web site (www.gov.cn).

He said two or three typhoons or tropical storms could hit China's coast in July, when heatwaves would also hit the south of the country.

Downpours wrought havoc across south China early last month, killing about 100 people and destroying hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops.

Floods, landslides and collapsing homes after heavy rains also killed dozens of people in Chongqing and the neighbouring provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou and Hubei in late June.

REUTERS SKB DS1400