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Heavy rains are causing severe flooding in areas of southern China. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee from their homes, and the government said as many as 75 people have died.
As heavy rains continue in southern China, state television broadcast images of people rafting down flooded streets, in water reaching as high as the storefront signs on Monday.
China's Ministry of Civil Affairs said the rain and floods that began in late June are the worst storms of this year.
The ministry said flooding has affected 40 million people so far in 12 provinces. Nearly a million people have been forced from their homes. The water has destroyed more than 100,000 houses, and damaged roads and crops in the Guangxi region, as well as Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces.
In Liuzhou, Guangxi's second largest city and an important transportation hub, authorities called the flood "the third biggest in history."
The floods stranded 300 teenagers in a middle school. Rescue workers got food and water to the students late Sunday night.
The government has pledged $18 million for disaster relief to the hardest hit regions. Five thousand tents have been sent to house displaced people in Guangxi, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces.
The summer is typically southern China's rainy season. The National Meteorological Center said the heavy rain in China's southern regions is expected to continue through Wednesday. And despite the rain, many parts of the south can expect to experience temperatures above 35 degrees, adding to the misery of the victims.
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