Torrential rains in recent days have brought relief to the drought-plagued regions along the Yangtze River, but have brought with them several instances of flooding. The problem was particularly acute in Guizhou province, where 21 people were killed by floods and 30 were missing, according to the provincial civil affairs bureau; nearly 100,000 were forced to evacuate. Three additional deaths were reported in the eastern province of Jiangsu.

Central, eastern and southern provinces, including Jiangxi, Hubei , Hunan , Anhui , Zhejiang and Guizhou , have been hit by persistent downpours.

The area of farmland along the river afflicted by the drought has receded, and water levels in major lakes such Poyang Lake and Hong Lake have risen from 60-year lows.