Over 2,600 people stranded in China floods

More than 2,600 residents of a low-lying township in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were stranded by floods since Thursday, local authorities said Friday. A flash flood triggered by days of heavy rainfall hit Beigeng Township, Xincheng County, at 4 p.m. Thursday, with water levels rising at a rate of 15 centimeters per hour, said a spokesman with the county's publicity department. All roads leading to the towns have been cut off and rescuers are using boats to try to get to the stranded people, Xinhua news quoted him as saying. 175 people managed to escape before the flood hit the township. Twenty-one houses collapsed after the floodwaters hit the township. No casualties have been reported, according to the spokesman.