More than 7,000 Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers, along with armed policemen and reservists are helping rescue victims of the on-going flooding in east China's Fujian Province.

PLA bases in Fujian have dispatched more than 2,000 reserve officers and soldiers to the Changting County, Gutian County and Jiangle County to facilitate the rescue efforts.

The armed policemen and reservists also helped out many young high school students who would suppose to take college entrance exam on Wednesday but where stranded by floods.

The weather prevented 4,565 students in Jian'ou city, central Fujian, from sitting for the exams, said the local education bureau.

Rainstorms have pelted the central and northern areas of this east Chinese coastal province since Sunday causing many local rivers in the province to overflow their banks.

Forty-one people have died in the floods, according to the Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Thursday.

Floods have caused many landslide and mudslides, destroying 9,300 houses and ruining crops on some 100,670 hectares of farmland in 35 counties and cities.

(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2006)