11 Missing, Thousands Evacuated As Flood Ravage South China

Following storms that pounded southern China, state media reported on Monday that eleven people were missing. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated to avoid the intense rains.

In recent days, the large southern province of Guangdong has seen heavy rain, which has swollen rivers and sparked fears of major flooding that may be "seen around once a century" according to state media.

11 individuals are still unaccounted for after days of persistent, intense rain that affected several areas of Guangdong, according to state news agency Xinhua, which quoted the regional emergency management office.

It further stated that around 53,000 individuals have been moved throughout the province.

According to official media on Sunday, more than 45,000 of them were evacuated from Qingyuan, a city in northern Guangdong that sits astride the banks of the Bei River, a tributary of the larger Pearl River Delta.

Monday is predicted to see more heavy rain, with weather officials predicting "thunderstorms and strong winds in Guangdong's coastal waters," which is a stretch of sea that borders several important cities, including Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

"Short-term heavy rainfall" will also strike neighbouring provinces, encompassing portions of Guizhou, Guangxi, and Fujian, according to the National Meteorological Centre.

It further stated that "it is anticipated that the primary impact period of strong convection will extend from daytime until nighttime."

Home to almost 127 million people, Guangdong province is China's heavily populated manufacturing heartland.

Six people were hurt and several more were stranded in landslides in Jiangwan on Sunday as a result of heavy rain, according to state media.

Images released by state broadcaster CCTV showed people taking refuge in a drenched public sports court and waterfront mansions completely wrecked by a wall of brown muck.

According to a Sunday CCTV report, flooding up to 5.8 metres (19 feet) over the warning level might occur on Monday morning in tributaries of the Pearl River.

Extreme weather is nothing new to China, but in recent years, the nation has experienced record heat, devastating floods, and grinding droughts.

Extreme weather events are becoming more common and powerful due to climate change caused by greenhouse gases released by humans, with China being the world's largest emitter.