Hundreds of people have been stranded by the mudslide and flood triggered by torrential rains in two provinces in central and southwest China.

In central China's Hubei Province, heavy rains hit Gucheng county in the city of Xiangyang early Monday morning, stranding hundreds of people in downtown areas and surrounding villages, local rescuers said.

People are evacuated after typhoon Damrey hit northeast China's Liaoning Province on August 4, 2012. [File photo]

The exact number of trapped people is not yet known.

In southwest China's Yunnan Province, a rain-triggered mudslide engulfed the village of Tiejia, leaving one person missing and over 100 people trapped.

Although more than 200 people were initially trapped in the mudslide in the county of Eyuan, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, more than 80 people had been saved as of noon Monday, local rescuers said.

Rescuers in both provinces are still working to free the remaining trapped people.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) warned on Sunday that typhoon Haikui has strengthened into a severe tropical storm and is approaching the coastal area of east China's Zhejiang Province.

China has been suffering from heavy rains recently. Typhoons Damrey and Saola, which made landfalls in east China on Friday, had caused severe and widespread damage in seven, mostly coastal provinces in China, while the death toll from Beijing's devastating downpours on July 21 has risen to 79.

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