Deaths rise in wake of flood disasters

The death toll continues to rise as wide swaths of China grapple with flooding and landslides caused by torrential rains.

In southwestern China's Sichuan province, 14 people were confirmed dead and 25 remained missing as of 2:30 pm on Monday after flash floods hit Malie village in Hanyuan county at around 2:30 am on Saturday, China Central Television reported on Monday.

Floods triggered by torrential rains also damaged over 40 houses in the village. More than 1,524 people have been affected, the local government said during a news conference on Sunday.

In Shaanxi province in Northwest China, searchers continued to look for those still missing after their vehicles plunged into a flooded river in Zhashui county when a highway bridge collapsed amid torrential rains at about 8:40 pm on Friday.

By 7 pm on Sunday, rescue workers had recovered 15 bodies and rescued one person, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

Rescuers said they believed that 25 vehicles fell into the river, and 28 people remain missing.

The local government said on Monday that support, including psychological counseling, has been given to relatives of the deceased and missing.

Meanwhile, the ferry service linking Beihai in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and a tourist island was halted after Typhoon Prapiroon, the fourth typhoon of the year, moved northwest and entered the Beibu Gulf on Monday afternoon, bringing strong winds and rains to Guangxi, the local meteorological service said.

More than 26,000 tourists had been evacuated from Weizhou Island by Sunday.

Typhoon Prapiroon made landfall along the coast of Wanning in South China's island province of Hainan at 1:30 am on Monday, packing winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour near the center, the National Meteorological Center said.

The center continued to issue a blue alert for rainstorms and a yellow alert for the typhoon, warning of heavy rainfall of over 100 millimeters in Hainan, southwestern Guangdong and southern Guangxi on Monday and Tuesday.

Transport and port authorities in Hainan temporarily suspended high-speed rail services circling the island, as well as ferry operations across the Qiongzhou Strait on Sunday. Rail services gradually resumed from 2:30 pm on Monday.

Many scenic spots and attractions in the province have been closed temporarily.