Widespread floods triggered by heavy rain from Typhoon Narra intensified on Tuesday across the nation's south, with homes and shops submerged and thousands of people relocated, while another ⁠storm system made its way towards the East China Sea.

Authorities in Chongzuo, in the Guangxi region, famous for its giant waterfalls and karst limestone mountains, evacuated more than 15,000 people from their homes after water levels surpassed a record high set in 2008.

Rising floodwaters have prompted China to relocate a total of 54,000 people in Guangxi, state television said.

Narra has lingered over the Beibu Gulf, also known as the Gulf of Tonkin, in the northwestern part of the South China Sea for several days, dumping heavy rain on Guangxi, Hainan ⁠and Guangdong.

Heavy rain is expected to persist across parts of Vietnam and southern regions of the mainland ⁠through Wednesday, with areas of ⁠Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan and Fujian forecast to receive torrential rain, state media said.

In Chongzuo, river water overflowed into the city, with water levels reaching the rooftops of some buildings ⁠and power lines.

A notice from Chongzuo authorities on Monday ordered all businesses and tourist operations to cease and urged evacuated residents not to return to high-risk areas.

Meanwhile, medium-strength Typhoon Saudel moved towards southern Japan and northern Taiwan where it is expected to bring sporadic heavy rain, as the island reported ⁠one dead and four missing from a separate weather system over its south and east.

Japan's weather agency warned of destructive gusts as Typhoon Saudel approached the southwestern islands of Okinawa prefecture, also causing extremely strong winds and high seas.

Saudel is expected to pass to the north of Taiwan and dump water on its north starting late Thursday and into Friday, though its intensity is forecast to gradually weaken and its storm-force wind radius to shrink, the island's Central Weather Administration said.

However, there is uncertainty about the timing and extent of the typhoon's rainfall impact, it ⁠added.

In southern and eastern Taiwan, one person reportedly died and four were missing from a tropical depression that brought flooding in the cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung, home to more than four million people.

During the three days from Sunday to Tuesday, almost a metre of rain fell in Kaohsiung, which exceeded rainfall during 2009's devastating Typhoon Morakot that killed about 700 people and caused damage of up to US$3 billion.

Saudel is forecast to hit the ⁠coast of Fujian from late Thursday to early Friday. (Reuters)



Edited by Tony Sabine