Death toll in south China flooding jumps to 38: State media

GUANGDONG

The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in southern China's Guangdong province this week rose sharply to 38 on Friday, state media reported.

Heavy rains have caused landslides and floods throughout the week, wrecking thousands of homes and roads and causing billions of yuan worth of damage, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Some areas have endured "once-a-century flooding... (or) the biggest since historical records began", CCTV said this week.

Authorities said on Thursday nine people had been killed but the toll had jumped to 38 by mid-afternoon Friday.

"Due to the severity of the disaster... the search and rescue of trapped people is difficult and time-consuming," CCTV said.

More than 55,000 people were affected by the rains, it said.

The torrential rains in the south came as much of northern China baked under soaring temperatures well above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) this week.

Scientists say climate change makes extreme weather such as heavy rains and heatwaves more frequent and intense.

Greenhouse gases are a major cause of climate change and China is the world's biggest emitter.