Rainstorms over the past few days have killed eight people and affected more than 500,000 in central China's Hubei Province, Xinhua reported. The wet weather continued on Wednesday in the eastern and southern parts of Hubei, as the cities of Qianjiang and Tianmen reported precipitation of more than 50 mm within six hours, according to the Wuhan meteorological station in the provincial capital. The worst-hit Xiangfan City reported precipitation of 271 mm over 12 hours on Tuesday. Among the dead, three were swept away by rainstorm-triggered floods, two were killed by lightning strikes and one died in a house collapse, according to provincial flood control authorities. About 12,000 people had been evacuated in Enshi City. The recent storms have also swollen many local rivers. The Yangtze maritime authority has activated a navigation ban on certain sections of the river to prevent boating accidents.
