Deadly downpours have been sweeping East China's Jiangsu and Anhui provinces since Friday, with rivers and reservoirs swelled by flooding.

The flood control and drought relief headquarters of the two provinces have warned that many lakes and rivers, including Taihu Lake, Hongze Lake and Chuhe River, either risk exceeding warning levels or have already done so.

From Friday to Sunday, five people died in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, where 461 millimeters of rain fell over the weekend, the most in the country.