11 missing in Guangdong rainstorm

GUANGZHOU, April 22 (Xinhua) -- A total of 11 people are missing after continuous heavy rainfall hit many parts of south China's Guangdong Province in recent days, the provincial emergency management department said Monday.

The search and rescue operations are still underway, the department said, adding that six of the missing individuals are from Jiangwan Township, Shaoguan City while the other five are from Dalong Village, Qingyuan City.

The recent heavy rainfall has affected many cities including Shaoguan, Guangzhou, Heyuan, Zhaoqing, Qingyuan, Meizhou and Huizhou, resulting in damaged houses, blocked roads and landslides.

A total of 53,741 people have been relocated across the province, with 12,256 people being urgently resettled, the department said.

So far, 36 houses have collapsed, 48 houses have been severely damaged, resulting in a direct economic loss of nearly 140.6 million yuan (about 19.8 million U.S. dollars).