Heavy rains kill at least 16 in China

Torrential rains have killed at least 16 people and affected 1.5 million people in southern and northern parts of China. The official Xinhua News Agency says the heavy rains over the past three days have affected 450,000 people and wiped out crops in the southern Guangxi region. Another 730,000 people have been affected in the southern province of Jiangxi and 312,000 are affected in the adjacent manufacturing powerhouse province of Guangdong. Xinhua quoted a local government official as saying the direct economic losses so far are $US20.3 million ($A20.26 million), and that water levels in 10 reservoirs and several major rivers have risen above warning levels. Xinhua said rainstorm-triggered floods have also hit areas of Inner Mongolia in the north of China.