Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in parts of China have caused severe flooding, raising the death toll to 15 and leaving more than 300 people injured, as evacuation efforts continue.

On Tuesday, the death toll rose from 11 to 15 after thunderstorms struck the central province of Hubei, injuring more than 300 people, damaging more than 4,000 homes and other infrastructure, and displacing thousands.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged a prompt response from authorities to boost rescue efforts, saying authorities should “go all out” to aid cities that have been hit.

State media also reported a separate landslide in a village in the northern province of Gansu, where 33 people were buried, with 17 individuals successfully rescued.

Authorities have deployed search-and-rescue teams to “properly relocate and settle affected residents, and strictly guard against secondary disasters”.

China has experienced frequent extreme weather, particularly during the summer rainy season, across several regions of the country.

Extreme weather conditions have killed at least 22 people in May after heavy downpours hit central, northern, and southern China.

In Nanning, Tropical Storm Maysak has affected 50,000 people, causing dam breaches and killing two people.