Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer, when some regions experience intense rainfall while others bake in searing heat.

Heavy rains pummelled central Hunan province from Sunday morning until Tuesday evening, killing four people and leaving one other missing, state news agency Xinhua said.

More than 61,500 people in one provincial county were affected, it said, without elaborating.

Flooding and landslides triggered by rains killed four people and left five others missing in southwestern China's Guizhou province, according to Xinhua, with authorities evacuating thousands.

Guizhou's Guiding County was battered by "sudden heavy rainfall and extreme weather" from Monday into Tuesday, the news agency said, adding that floods and landslides had submerged houses and damaged roads.

As of 3 pm (0700 GMT) Tuesday, four people had died, it said, with search and rescue operations ongoing for five others missing.

Authorities evacuated over a thousand people in neighbouring Majiang County, state broadcaster CCTV said.

CCTV videos showed rushing brown water flooding a residential area surrounded by fallen trees.

Rescue workers wearing life vests and helmets were shown trudging through the muddy water covered in debris, with one piggybacking an elderly woman to safety.

The government allocated 120 million yuan ($17.6 million) to support relief efforts across Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing, Guizhou and Guangxi provinces, the finance ministry and emergency management ministry said Tuesday.

Scientists warn the intensity and frequency of global extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up because of fossil fuel emissions.

China is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, but it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060.