Rain-lashed southern China battles floods as rescue efforts, emergency funds mobilized

Heavy rains continued to lash southern China on Thursday, with authorities at all levels rolling out emergency measures to prevent flooding and ensure people's safety.

In Xinyu City, in east China's Jiangxi Province, intense downpours began early on Thursday morning. Hanyuan Village recorded 125 millimeters in three hours, and local rivers swelled rapidly.

Floodwaters inundated homes, blocked roads, and left villagers stranded. Local emergency teams immediately launched door-to-door searches and relocated stranded villagers, with all affected residents moved to safety by Thursday night.

Torrential rain also battered central and western parts of south China's Guangdong Province on Wednesday and Thursday. In Yangjiang City alone, 27 meteorological and hydrological stations registered rainfall exceeding 500 millimeters. Several villages were flooded, with floodwaters in Datongtian Village of Hekou Town reaching two meters at the deepest point. Local crews worked through the night to evacuate stranded villagers.

In south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Liujiang River in Liuzhou continued to rise, supassing 80 meters at around 11:00 on Thursday. River water spilled over low-lying sections of the city, prompting traffic police to place warning signs at intersections and guide vehicles away.

Southwest China's Guizhou and central China's Hunan provinces were also badly hit, with the National Development and Reform Commission allocating 30 million yuan (about 4.41 million U.S. dollars) and 50 million yuan (about 7.35 million U.S. dollars) respectively, from the central budget to support post-disaster emergency restoration of infrastructure and public service facilities.

China's meteorological department has forecast another round of widespread rainfall across central and eastern China from Thursday through Saturday, and has urged the public to stay alert to warnings, and avoid mountainous terrain, river valleys, and low-lying areas.

Rain-lashed southern China battles floods as rescue efforts, emergency funds mobilized

The eurozone composite purchasing managers' index (PMI) -- a key indicator of business activity -- fell to 47.5 in May, the lowest level in 31 months, according to data released in an S and P Global report on Thursday.

The report said that increased cost pressures have led to a contraction in business activities in the eurozone.

The service sector, a key pillar of the economy, took a heavy hit, with its PMI plunging to 46.4, a 63-month low.

Meanwhile, the manufacturing PMI stood at 51.4, suggesting the pace of expansion slowed to its weakest since January.

The report quoted Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S and P Global Market Intelligence, as saying that the preliminary PMI data for May showed the war in the Middle East has been weighing increasingly heavily on the eurozone economy.

The eurozone economy is expected to contract by 0.2 percent in the second quarter, while inflation could approach 4 percent in the coming months, according to Williamson.

Eurozone economic activity slumps to 31-month low in May

Eurozone composite PMI falls to lowest level in 31 months