OREANDA-NEWS. June 14, 2011.  A new round of torrential rains is expected to hit the city of Xianning in central China's Hubei Province, not long after rain-triggered floods resulted in 23 deaths in the city.

Heavy downpours will lash the city on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing more risks for landslides and road collapses, said Wang Nenggen, chief of the city's meteorological station.

Rain-triggered floods and mudslides have resulted in 23 deaths in the city as of Saturday, with 10 others still missing.

More than 100 people were injured by the disasters, and the city has experienced direct economic losses of 1.61 billion yuan (248.4 million U.S. dollars), according to statistics from the local government.

In neighboring Hunan Province, floods, lightning and landslides have claimed 27 lives as of Saturday afternoon. Two of Yueyang city's reservoirs were severely damaged, resulting in water discharges that destroyed nearby homes and farms.

Xie Kangsheng, a provincial government advisor, said that a recent drought has dried up the region's soil, which has increased the risk of landslides during recent heavy rainfalls.