A man wades through a heavily flooded area after a strong downpour hit Shanghai. Source: AFP

The storms have dumped more than 20 centimetres (nearly 8 inches) of rainfall in 48 hours on some towns, toppled thousands of homes, and dislocated tens of thousands of residents, the ministry said Friday.

The deaths were caused by house collapses, landslides, drowning or lightning.

An inundated car is seen in a heavily flooded area after a strong downpour hit Shanghai. Source: AFP

A cyclist holds an umbrella rides across a man pushing his electric bike on a traffic intersection during a heavy rainstorm in Beijing. Source: AP

A woman pushes a child on a tricycle through heavy rain in Shanghai. Source: AFP

Hubei province, where heaviest rainfalls were recorded, reported the highest death toll of 10. The local civil affairs agency said 664,000 people were affected.

In the neighbouring province of Hunan, the storms affected 527,000 people.

Another five people were reported dead in the municipality of Chongqing. Guizhou province reported two deaths, and one person died in Anhui province.

Authorities were also trying to dispose of nearly 17,000 pigs that drowned in heavy rain in the south-western region of Guangxi.

The official Xinhua News Agency on Saturday said foul smell permeated the air at a hog farm where the animals died nearly a week ago in a rain that dumped 39 centimetres (15 inches) in 20 hours on the village of Liuye.

A traffic police officer directs commuters under heavy rain in Shanghai. Source: AFP

Citizens wade through a heavily flooded area after a strong downpour hit Shanghai on June 17, 2015. Source: AFP