Beijing, Jul 4 (IANS): China's meteorological authority renewed its orange alert for heavy rains in the south and southwest of the country on Monday.

Heavy rains will hit the provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, Jiangxi, Hunan and Guizhou, and Guangxi Zhuang region until Tuesday morning, with precipitation reaching 200 mm in some areas, the National Meteorological Centre said.

The centre advised people living in the affected areas to take precautions against possible floods and landslides, and those living in mountainous areas to move to safe places, Xinhua news agency reported.

China has a four-tier colour-coded system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Continuous rainfall over the past two weeks has left at least 61 people dead and 14 others missing in China.

In Hubei province, 34 people were killed and 11 others reported missing.

In eastern Anhui Province, 27 people have died and another three were missing.