A new round of downpours has left?20 dead and hundreds of thousands evacuated?in southwest China, according to local flood control authorities on Friday.

In Guizhou Province, 12 people died and one?was missing as heavy rain pounded 19 counties on Wednesday, destroying farmlands and houses and forcing the evacuation of 13,133 local residents.

In Chongqing, a major city in southwest China, two people were killed and two others?went missing in a rain-triggered flood. The flood also forced 109,000 people to evacuate from their homes to safer grounds and toppled 5,600 rural houses.

In Sichuan Province, six were killed and two others were missing?since Monday.

Persistent downpours have wreaked havoc in south China since June 3. As of June 22, the central government has earmarked 340 million yuan for flood relief efforts.

The fund will be used to help relocate flood victims, provide temporary living assistance, reconstruct destroyed buildings and offer pensions to relatives of those who perished in the floods, the authorities said.