Rainstorms continue to wreak havoc in China

Citizens ride on a water-logged road in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, July 16, 2014. Guizhou meteorological authority on Wednesday issued a red alert for torrential rain in Guiyang where the precipitation has reached 169.5 mm. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

Persistent downpours continue to wreak havoc in south and central China, causing floods and landslides, while disrupting traffic.

As of Thursday morning, eight people were confirmed dead and eleven remain missing in landslides as rainstorms continue to lash Anhua county in central China's Hunan province, according to the local flood prevention department.

Rain-triggered disasters have affected more than 700,000 people in the county and forced 15,000 to relocate.

Elsewhere, a landslide in southwest China's Guizhou province buried eight people on Thursday morning, local authorities said.

Days of heavy rain caused the landslide in Dakuo Village of Zhijin County in the city of Bijie at around 4 am, said a spokesman with the county.

By 10am, two people had been rescued, and rescuers were searching for the remaining six, he said.

Ongoing storms have disrupted traffic in Guizhou by flooding roads and highways, leading to economic losses of 3.37 billion yuan (542.7 million US dollars), the Guizhou Provincial Transportation Department said in a statement. Rain is likely to continue throughout the week, according to the weather forecast.

Days of heavy rain in Guizhou have forced water levels to rise in a section of the Wujiang River in neighboring Chongqing Municipality. Water levels of two reservoirs in the municipality both passed warning levels as of 9am on Thursday, forcing the relocation of over 10,000 people.