Torrential rainfall causes seven-metre-deep lake in China's Hunan province

Floods in several provinces across China have left over 100 dead

The flooding in China's Hunan province caused by torrential rainfall is 150 square kilometres and 7 metres deep in some places. Picture: BBC (BBC)

Heavy rainfall in China has formed a seven-metre-deep lake in its central Hunan province.

The body of water is more than 150 square kilometres, or 58 square miles, according to the BBC, which broadcast a video showing rescue workers in a boat speeding past partially submerged homes.

The torrential rain that has been falling across central and southern China for several weeks has caused substantial damage to infrastructure, with flood water submerging buildings, cars and roads.

Several provinces and regions in China including Guangdong, Hunan, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangxi have seen "relatively serious" flooding, according to Xinhua news agency.

A resident looks out from a window in a building surrounded by flood water in Xiamen, east China's Fujian province. (AFP/AFP/Getty Images)

On Friday, Xinhua reported that over 8,000 people in Hunan Province have been affected by the downpours, and more than 7,500 have been relocated.

An estimated 350,000 people in neighbouring Guizhou province have been affected, with over 3,800 forced to relocate. The cost of damage in this province alone is thought to have passed 120 million yuan (19.2 million US dollars).

According to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, floods in 19 provinces and regions have killed 134 and left 12 missing so far this year.