The floods destroyed 129 houses in Pianma town in remote Nujiang prefecture, 390 kilometres (244 miles) northwest of the provincial capital Kunming, the Xinhua news agency said late Sunday.

The area, along the Nujiang, or Salween river, bordering northeast Myanmar, has been hit by continuous rain since July 1, it said, with a local reservoir filled to 1.77 metres (five feet 11 inches) above the warning line.

Rainstorms will continue in the area over the next three days, Xinhua said, citing the local meteorological station.

The area is home to the Lisu ethnic minority.

Massive rainfall is threatening large parts of China from Tibet in the southwest to Beijing at the other end of the huge country, with thousands already evacuated because of floods, the news agency said.

The Chinese government said last week that 555 people have lost their lives so far this year in floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides and mudflows.

TERRA.WIRE