Rainstorms that have lashed central China's Hubei Province since Friday have left three people dead, said the provincial civil affairs authority on Sunday.

Two people died in Dangyang City, one of the hardest hit in the province. Fu Guanxiang, a 51-year-old woman in Hongri Village, was killed when her house collapsed. Zhai Zhongjun, a man in Mulin Village, died after falling from the roof of his home while he was trying to make repairs to prevent rain from leaking into his house.

The civil affairs authority in Shayang City also reported one death. A man, whose name was not immediately available, was killed by lightning.

Hundreds of homes in the province collapsed in rainstorms, which came to an end on Sunday morning. Civil affairs departments are still tallying the losses, and the disaster relief work is continuing.

The provincial observatory said storms lashed 19 cities, and the cities of Wuhan, Xiaogan and Yunmeng received rainfall of up to 150 millimeters.

In the provincial capital, Wuhan, traffic on some streets was blocked by floodwaters up to a meter deep. More than 1,000 people were mobilized to help clear the streets.

(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2008)