The deaths have been concentrated in the poor southern province of Guizhou, where 21 people have died so far, and 100,000 people have left their homes to escape the rising waters over the past few days, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Another 30 people were missing in Guizhou, the report added, suggesting the death toll could rise.

The other deaths have been reported in the eastern seaboard province of Jiangsu, Xinhua added, though other parts of that province remain parched.

Guizhou will be hit by more rain over the coming few days, and the government has already sent a relief team to the hardest hit areas, it said.

The drought has damaged crops and exacerbated a power shortage by cutting power generation from dams, adding a slight bump to near three-year high consumer inflation.

Reuters