Heavy rain in the past two days killed one person, damaged crops, triggered floods and threatened reservoir safety in south China, officials said on Tuesday.

The rain has affected about 1.3 million people and damaged more than 150,000 hectares of farmland in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the provinces of Jiangxi, Anhui and Hubei, forcing 16,000 people to evacuate, according to local officials.

One person was crushed to death after a house collapsed in Guangxi, officials said.

Water levels in some mid-sized and large reservoirs have risen above the warning levels.

Meteorological authorities in Hubei said the region had experienced the worst rainstorm in five decades, causing estimated losses of 20 million yuan (US$2.89 million).

Precipitation in Jiangxi exceeded 100 mm in 35 counties and 200 mm in four counties in just two days, causing an estimated loss of 250 million yuan, according to officials.

With more heavy rain expected in most of south China, local meteorological centers in Chongqing, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangxi and Guangxi had been asked to have staff work shifts around the clock.

The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) on Monday maintained its orange alert, the second highest level, for rain in south China.

The CMA issues an orange alert only when the precipitation is expected to exceed 50 mm within three hours, or when more rain is forecast after precipitation has exceeded 50 mm.

(Xinhua News Agency June 11, 2008)