Four people were confirmed dead and one injured by this morning in landslides triggered by continuous heavy rains in south China's Guangdong Province.

The injured person was out of danger, according to local government.

The victims were villagers from Changtang Town, Heyuan City, according to the publicity office of Heyuan, which is the most seriously stricken of the 47 affected districts in Guangdong.

The landslides occurred on Monday morning, burying several houses in the town. Three villagers escaped, but three members of the family called Liu and a villager surnamed Xu were found dead on Monday afternoon, said the town head, who only gave his surname as Zhu.

"More than 80 villagers have joined in the rescue operation, but it was raining at the time and we had no tools for digging except our hoes," said Zhu.

On Monday and Tuesday, 47 cities and counties reported a daily rainfall of at least 50 mm, with the maximum rainfall of 186.3 mm, leading to the evacuation of more than 20,000 people, as more than 1,300 houses were destroyed, roads flooded and schools closed, according to the provincial civil affairs department.

Most of the evacuees had to stay with relatives, while the rest were put up in hotels and schools, according to the department.

The department has dispatched officials to the areas to supervise rescue operations and to investigate the damage.

The rainstorms, accompanied by thunder and lightening, continued for the whole morning on Tuesday, postponing 20 flights for more than two hours and stranding at least 2,000 passengers at Baiyun Airport, the province's largest, said sources with the airport.

The provincial weather observatory has said rains will ease from today, but will continue until tomorrow, warning local governments of more landslides and floods.

(Xinhua News Agency April 25, 2007)