Rainstorms and floods caused by Typhoon Bilis have claimed 42 lives and left more than 100 missing after it landed in eastern China on Friday, government sources said Saturday.

Central China's Hunan Province is the worst hit as 36 people were confirmed dead and more than 100 went missing as of 4 p.m. Saturday, said the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

People wades through a flooded street in Chenzhou, Hunan province July 15, 2006. Typhoon Bilis brough heavy rains to several provinces, leaving 42 dead and more than 100 missing. [Xinhua]

In Hunan another 349 people were injured and 40,000 people in the cities of Hengyang and Chenzhou were stranded by floods.

Hunan Party Chief Zhang Chunxian and Governor Zhou Bohua asked rescuers to save people and reduce casualties at all costs. The two senior officials have rushed to flood-hit areas to coordinate rescue efforts.

Hunan flood control headquarters have sent 140 vessels to search and rescue the trapped.

Eight reservoirs in the province are in dangerous condition while the dam of one of the reservoirs could collapse at any time as the sluice is crammed by floating tree trunks and cannot open.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters reported earlier 29 people died and more than 50 were missing in Hunan, where rainstorms caused serious flooding in several counties in the eastern and southern parts of the province.

Six people died and nine others were missing in South China's Guangdong Province, said the Guangdong headquarters of flood control at 5 p.m. Saturday.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters reported earlier 29 people died and more than 50 were missing in Hunan, where rainstorms caused serious flooding in several counties in the eastern and southern parts of the province.

The headquarters also reported that in neighboring Guangdong Province three people died and nine others were missing in floods caused by the typhoon.