China's Ministry of Civil Affairs confirmed that the heavy rainfall that has been pounding south China for the last few days resulted in the death of at least 21 people.

The rain affects around 1.2 million people living in Fujian, Hunan, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou and Chongqing, the ministry said Tuesday.

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The torrential rain also forced the government to evacuate up to 17,000 people from their homes to keep them safe during the ongoing heavy rainfall.

The rainfall, which started Thursday last week, reached up to as much as 300 mm, and is often coupled with hailstorms and thunder.  Weather experts in China said this weather condition will continue this week.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Tuesday, at least 1,700 houses have already been destroyed while 55,000 are partially damaged due to the continuous downpour.

Aside from destroying houses and affecting the lives of residents living in the seven provincial-level regions, the rain also damaged 47,500 hectares of crops and livestock and has, so far, caused economic losses of at least 650 million Yuan, or US $105.7 million.

Emergency rescue workers have already been deployed in the areas affected by the heavy rain and the local governments are currently conducting forced evacuation to ensure the safety of residents.

The heavy rain has also resulted to the cancellation of flights at major airports in Guangdong since Sunday. Authorities at the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport said at least 300 flights were canceled since Sunday, resulting in thousands of stranded passengers.

Schools in affected areas have also been suspended while some business establishments were forced to close down due to threats of flashflood and landslide.