Heavy rain continues to batter Hunan Province

Rain is forecast to last till Friday in central China's Hunan Province, where rain-triggered landslides have already killed three people, local authorities said on Wednesday. Heavy rain started to lash 24 cities and counties in Hunan on Tuesday, killing three people and leaving 165,000 more affected, the provincial civil affairs bureau said in a statement. The rain also toppled 300 houses, forced the relocation of 1,600 people and damaged 14,000 hectares of crops. In Changsha, capital city of Hunan, rainstorms inundated roads and houses in low-lying areas and crippled traffic on Wednesday night. Rainstorms are forecast for Wednesday night and Thursday, while they will abate on Friday, according to provincial meteorological authorities. The weather is expected to clear up over the weekend.