Beijing: More than 80,000 people have been evacuated after severe flooding in the southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou, Beijing's state media said on Wednesday.

The ongoing, heavy rain forced around 80,900 people to leave their homes as of Tuesday afternoon, state news agency Xinhua reported.

At least two riverside cities, Congjiang and Rongjiang, each home to over 300,000 people, issued evacuation orders on Tuesday for residents living along rapidly rising rivers and in low-lying areas, Reuters reported.

Rescue teams have been deployed to the two affected counties, where the flood control emergency response has been raised to the highest level, state news agency Xinhua reported.

In one affected county, Rongjiang, a football field was "submerged under three meters of water", the news agency said.

One resident told Xinhua, "the water rose very quickly".

"I stayed on the third floor waiting for rescue. By the afternoon, I had been transferred to safety," Long said. AFP