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At least seven people have been killed after rainstorms battered a town in southern China and allowed dozens of crocodiles to escape captivity.
Residents in the nearby city of Maoming were advised to stay at home after over 70 crocodiles broke free from a farm and are still at large in the surrounding area.
An emergency official said that 69 adult crocodiles and six juveniles had escaped.
Some have been captured but the operation was difficult because of the depth of a lake they are in, reports suggested.
Local media also suggested that while some had been recaptured, several others had been shot or electrocuted by authorities ‘for safety reasons’.
No injuries have been reported at this time.
Further west, seven people died and three are missing after multiple landslides in the city of Yulin in the Guangxi region, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The landslides were triggered by heavy rains on Sunday and Monday.
The reptiles escaped after rainstorms battered a farm in southern China (Picture: Asiawire)
The rain also caused flash floods in Hong Kong last week, killing two people. Parts of the city were flooded again following a heavy downpour on Monday. Puddles of water and debris could still be seen.
Hong Kong leader John Lee said the government would set up an emergency assistance fund to help those affected by the floods.
The reptiles are believed to be Siamese crocodiles, which can grow up to 3m or nearly 10 ft long.
Maoming, a city in Guangdong province, is home to a number of crocodile farms where the animals are bred for their skin and meat.
The average weight of the adult crocodiles that have been captured is about 75kg, according to a local firefighter.
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