Death toll from China rainstorm reaches 65

May 8, 2010 At least 65 people have been killed and 9,900 houses destroyed in southern China after torrential rainstorms hit the area over the past week.

Fourteen people are missing, and 2.55 million people have been affected by the rains; flash floods breached dikes, exacerbating the situation. Among the cities struck were, , Guangdong, and.

The inclement weather is expected to continue in Hunan and Jiangxi, according to meteorologists. According to the state news agency,, as much as 157 of rain fell throughout the region from Wednesday evening to Thursday afternoon.

The rains started when a heat wave in the southern part of the country mingled with a cold front from the north, according to reports citing weather forecasters.