AKIPRESS.COM - At least five people have been killed and thousands more have been left stranded after record rainfall hit southern China, officials say, BBC reports.

Hundreds of homes and thousands of hectares of crops have been destroyed by the downpours, which are expected to continue for several days.

More than two million people have been affected and roads and bridges have been badly damaged, state media report.

In Guizhou province, an entire town was submerged under 2m (6ft 6in) of water.

Elsewhere, China's metrological association said rainfall in the southern provinces of Jiangxi and Hunan had hit record highs for June.