86,000 relocated, transport disrupted due to heavy rain in south China's Guangdong

GUANGZHOU, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Due to heavy rainfall on Wednesday, China's economic powerhouse of Guangdong Province has transferred over 86,000 people in advance as a preventive measure, while relevant railway services have been suspended and flights delayed.

From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, 65 townships and sub-districts in Guangdong experienced torrential rain, with precipitation exceeding 100 millimeters, while the maximum accumulated rainfall reached 247.9 millimeters in a sub-district of the city of Dongguan, according to local meteorological and hydrological monitoring.

As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, services were suspended for some trains on the railway line connecting Guangzhou and Shenzhen, two megacities in China, and a line linking Guangzhou and Shantou.

Meanwhile, as of 8:38 p.m. Wednesday, 55 flights had been delayed for more than an hour at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.

The rainfall is forecast to weaken from Thursday to Friday, according to the Guangdong meteorological observatory.