GUANGZHOU, May 12 -- The high-speed rail link between Guangzhou and Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province resumed operation after being suspended by a mudslide, the local railway authorities said Monday.

Staff found the mudslide near Shenzhen in an inspection early on Sunday, and then the service was halted, the Guangzhou Railway Group said.

The rail service was reopened at 2:57 p.m., and more than 20 trains were affected during the halt, according to the group.

Shenzhen experienced its strongest rainfall since 2008 on Sunday, with 2,000 cars submerged in the streets and more than 5,000 buses suspended. The city's meteorological bureau canceled a severe weather alert early Monday morning, but predicts another round of storms.

No casualties have been reported in the city, while the direct economic losses were estimated to be about 80 million yuan (13 million US dollars).

Heavy rainstorms have killed three people after downpours hit southern China regions. Apart from Guangdong, the provinces of Hunan and Yunnan and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have been hit by rain.

In Guangxi where continuous rainfall reached 151.8 mm, 25 trains were delayed from Saturday to Monday, local railway authorities said.

As of 4 p.m. on Monday, rainstorms had forced more than 80,000 residents to relocate and disrupted lives of another 261,000 people, said a statement issued by the region's civil affairs department.

Nearly 11,000 hectares of crops were damaged or destroyed, and over 600 houses have toppled. Direct economic losses reached 291 million yuan (46.6 million U.S. dollars), said the statement.

Further rain is expected on Tuesday and Wednesday in parts of the region, according to the region's weather forecast station.