At least 168 people are either dead or missing after two weeks of torrential rains and flash floods in various parts of China.

The official China Daily newspaper says disaster relief teams have been dispatched to Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, where waterways have overflowed their banks and forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes. One waterway in Zhejiang has risen to its highest level in more than 50 years.

The civil affairs ministry tells China Daily that more than 555,000 people have been evacuated in those provinces and four others. Authorities have raised the emergency response to its highest level.

Weather forecasters said Thursday more rain is expected to fall in the coming days.