Heavy rain in southern China forces 150,000 to flee

BEIJING (Reuters) - Torrential rain battering southern China has forced more than 150,000 people from their homes, toppled hundreds of houses and punched a dangerous hole in the spillway of a dam, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

The destruction after just three days of downpours was a reminder of the havoc that parts of China may suffer during the wet summer months ahead.

The rain sweeping parts of Jiangxi province and Guangxi region has so far killed three people with four missing, Xinhua reported.

Many towns in Rongshui County, Guangxi, reported rainfall of up to 200 mm (8 inches) from Wednesday to Friday, said Xinhua, adding that more than 5,600 dwellings and buildings across Jiangxi collapsed under the downpours and resulting flooding.

In Jiangxi, more than 80,000 people were moved out of fear for their safety, and in Guangxi another 70,000 were moved. Often, Chinese officials moved people only short distances from flood-threatened areas.

State television news showed footage of locals and troops struggling to contain a breach from a flood diversion tunnel at the base of the Kama Dam in Luocheng County, Guangxi.

A 13.5-metre (44 ft) long section gave way under the weight of the water and a nearby hillside was also in danger of collapsing. Local officials ordered more than 7,500 locals living downstream to flee, fearing the dam might crack.

The threat was intense enough that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao issued orders to "ensure the safety of the public", Xinhua reported. By Saturday afternoon the danger was receding, a later report said.

But forecasters in Guangxi have said that torrential rain was likely to hit parts of the region again on Sunday.