Heavy rain triggers landslides, flood in southwest China
华南暴雨引发洪水和山体滑坡

Heavy rains continue to slam much of southern China triggering floods and landslides. In one of the most badly hit areas is Maerkang County of southwestern Sichuan Province, one powerful downpour changed villagers' lives overnight.

The rain triggered landslide happened around two o'clock in the morning. Local residents were forced to evacuate immediately. At the same time, rising flood waters forced people to seek out higher ground.

More than 600 residents were forced to relocate overnight. The damage from the storm has added to their pain.

"All our electric machines were destroyed in the flood. We saw our neighbor's fridge floating on the water."

"We couldn't do anything about it. There was no way to rescue anything. We couldn't even drive the car out."

Economic losses could be substantial, but certainly not the worst outcome.

In nearby Chongqing municipality, the persistent rain led to a sudden collapse of a house, burrying a couple in their sleep.

But rescuing her husband wasn't as easy. It took an hour to pull him to safety. Both were sent immediately to the hospital for treatment. But the nightmare isn't over for many in much of southern China as meteorological authorities are predicting that the rain will continue in the coming days.