Floods kill more than 180 people in central and southern China

At least 180 people have been killed in flooding along the Yangtze River in China following torrential rain, according to reports.

According to BBC News, storms stretching to 1,600kms and rain between 10cm and 50cm have swept seven provinces sweeping across central and southern China.

At least 45 people have gone missing and 33 million have been affected, officials say.

The rain has also washed away railway lines and shut down road networks.

The dead included 23 people who were killed in a mudslide in Guizhou Province, a mountainous province in southwest China.

Eight died in the city of Wuhan in Hubei Province when a section of a wall collapsed, BBC quoted a state media.

As per weather forecast, heavy rain will continue until Wednesday across parts of southern and western China, the South China Morning Post reported.