China: Thousands evacuated in massive floods after storms hit

Some areas in Guangdong are part of the low-lying Pearl River delta, which is vulnerable to flooding due to rising sea levels and storm surges.

Authorities have evacuated over 60,000 people from their houses in Guangdong after days of torrential rain created major flooding in China's most populated province.

Three individuals have died and 11 have gone missing, according to state media.

Footage from state TV and online videos show swaths of land swamped by floods, as well as rescuers evacuating people on lifeboats through waist-deep water.

Several rivers have overflowed their banks, and authorities are cautiously monitoring "dangerously high" water levels.

Local authorities warned the level of a river in northern Guangdong could reach a "once in 100 years" peak on Monday morning.

Some areas in Guangdong are part of the low-lying Pearl River delta, which is vulnerable to flooding due to rising sea levels and storm surges.

The delta is a significant manufacturing hub in China and one of the country's most densely inhabited areas, with Guangdong alone accommodating around 127 million people.

The provincial capital Guangzhou, as well as the smaller cities Shaoguan and Heyuan, were among the hardest hit.

Over the weekend, around 1.16 million households in the province lost power, but 80% of them had it restored by Sunday night.

Due to heavy rain, flights at Guangzhou's Baiyun International Airport have been cancelled and delayed, and schools in at least three locations have been ordered closed.

Dozens of residences in the province have either collapsed or been seriously damaged, with officials estimating a direct economic loss of almost 140.6 million yuan ($19.8 million).

China's meteorological authorities have warned that heavy rains would persist in Guangdong and Fujian coastal areas until at least Tuesday.

Other sections of the country, including Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, are expected to get "moderate to heavy" rainfall.

Last July, China's capital Beijing and surrounding provinces, including Hebei, were flooded by torrential rain and flooding as a succession of Pacific Ocean typhoons made landfall in the country.

That week, Beijing saw the greatest rainfall in 140 years.

Here are some pictures below: