Two people were killed in severe rainstorms that hit central China's Hubei province on Saturday, local media reported.

A flash of lightening splits the night sky in Wuhan, Hubei Province at 1 AM on Saturday, May 3, 2008.

Herong County in Dangyang City was among the worst-hit areas. Local villager Fu Guanxiang died when her house collapsed during the rainstorm, the Changjiang Times newspaper said. Another casualty, Zhai Zhongjun, succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital.

Heavy rain has destroyed 89 houses in Dangyang and more than 300 people have been evacuated to safety. The adverse weather has caused economic loses of 38 million yuan (US$5.4 million) in the city, the report says.

Another rainstorm hit Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province, on Saturday. Statistics from the local meteorological bureau show that the city witnessed at least 2,200 bolts of lightning during the storm.

Dark clouds brood over the city of Wuhan after a heavy rainstorm on Saturday night, May 3, 2008.

Workers drain out rain water from a road in Wuhan, Hubei Province on May 3, 2008. 

(CRI May 4, 2008)