Heavy rains that started Tuesday have swept Southern and Central China, sometimes triggering floods and landslides.

Thunderstorms soaked the provinces of Shaanxi, Sichuan, Guizhou and Hubei. Hubei was hit hardest, with 120 millimeters of rainfall. Floods damaged houses and destroyed roads and crops. The local governments launched an emergency plan, and evacuated the people affected. The meteorological center says the rain will continue in the coming days.

(CCTV May 14, 2009)