Two expressways and 20 provincial highways in south China's Guangdong Province, which were previously closed by continuous rainstorms, were re-opened to traffic on Wednesday, a provincial transportation bureau official said.

Between May 25 and June 18, rain and flooding had ravaged 21 cities, resulting in 482 million yuan (64.3 million US dollars) in damages to transport infrastructure. These included 56 bridges, two expressways and 20 provincial highways covering 1,289 km.

The weather also claimed 23 lives and affected 7.5 million people in Guangdong, the provincial headquarters of flood control said.

The transportation bureau added it would continue to revamp county-level roads to strengthen their ability to hold up in bad weather.

(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2008)