In south China, silkworm farmers reel from deadly floods

Qingyuan, China: Hose in hand, 40 year old Zhu Huangyi cleans a small concrete room once home to his silkworms, two thirds of which were lost in deadl...

Qingyuan, China: Hose in hand, 40-year-old Zhu Huangyi cleans a small concrete room once home to his silkworms, two thirds of which were lost in deadly floods hitting southern China this week.

Just two hours from the economic powerhouse and megacity of Guangzhou, surrounded by lush subtropical vegetation, lies the village of Sancun, one of the worst hit by the recent bad weather.

Around a quarter of households in the village make their living from raising silkworms, insects that secrete precious fibres essential to the textile industry.

Although the water levels had dropped by the time AFP arrived, it reached two metres in some areas -- with devastating consequences for residents and the tiny creatures.

"We placed the worms high up but that wasn't enough," Zhu Huangyi told AFP, holding up a smartphone showing images of his cocoons floating sadly on the surface of the water.