Rain has been forecast for Friday and Saturday in parts of southern China, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

Heavy rain would sweep eastern and southern Fujian, central and eastern Guangdong, western and southern Guangxi, southwestern Guizhou and southern Yunnan, the NMC said. Some of those regions would see torrential rain.

Southern China, particularly Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces, got heavy rain over the past few days, which had left at least 57 people dead as of Thursday night.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters launched a level-three emergency response plan on Wednesday to address possible flooding problems.

Under the plan, three inspection teams were set up to supervise the flood relief work in Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces.

E Jingping, secretary general of the headquarters, urged local governments to strengthen their monitoring of the floods and act to avert possible dangers.

(Xinhua News Agency May 30, 2008)