Torrential rain has been slamming south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region since Friday, leaving a three-year-old girl dead and more than 364,700 people affected.

The rain demolished 500 rooms and destroyed crops on 18,812 hectares in the cities of Beihai, Hechi and Laibin, causing a direct economic loss of 85.86 million yuan (12.3 million U.S. dollars), said a spokesman for the regional flood control headquarters.

The rain may also lead to a crop failure of about 14,170 tonnes of grain, the spokesman said.

In addition, three industrial and mining enterprises suspended operation and three highways were damaged because of the rain.

Meteorological experts in Guangxi predicted the torrential rain would continue for the coming two days. 

More rain is forecast across many parts of China today and for the coming two days, the National Meteorological Center said yesterday.

Thunderstorms will hit Guangdong and Yunnan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Rain will also affect parts of Inner Mongolia and northeast China, the center said.

Shanghai will have thunderstorms today, but sunshine should return on Tuesday, bringing the temperature back to 35 degrees Celsius and above.

Shanghai Airport authorities said about 170 flights, half domestic and half international, were delayed or cancelled yesterday because of thunderstorms.

Both arriving and departing flights were affected. They included flights to Beijing, Chengdu in Sichuan Province and Dalian and Harbin in northeast China.

Four charter flights between Shanghai and Taipei were postponed.

Floods killed two people and left another person missing in the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture on Thursday and Friday. All three were of the Yi nationality, authorities said.

In Yibin City, two women and a man from the same family died in a landslide on Friday morning.

In Sichuan Province, 14 people have died in landslides or floods triggered by downpours since July 1, authorities said yesterday.

Three waves of downpours in Sichuan between July 1 and July 5, affected 217,000 people in 11 counties and cities.

The rain triggered mud-rock flows in Zhaojue County, toppling a farmer's house where six people died and another person was injured. Three other deaths were reported in similar incidents.

The death toll could rise further, with rescuers still trying last night to extricate six villagers from debris after a landslide in Xide County.