Typhoons wreak havoc in Asia

Rescuers inspect the site of a massive landslide in southwest China's Yunnan Province

HONG KONG, China -- Countries across Asia are on storm alert as typhoons near parts of the region and heavy rains batter others, with forecasters saying there is little hope of the weather abating.

China is on disaster alert after a week of heavy rains, landslides and flash floods, which have killed more than 200 people and have closed parts of the massive Yangtze River. (Full story)

Further east, the Japanese capital of Tokyo is bracing itself as typhoon Phanfone threatens to strike.(Full story)

To the southeast, Vietnam is preparing for more flooding as another storm looms, after at least 20 people died during flash floods in the northern part of the country over the weekend.(Full story)

In South Asia, Bangladesh's Jamuna river overflowed Saturday after lengthy monsoon rains, with dozens of villages north-west of Dhaka deluged. Outside the Indian capital, a burst dam swamped several villages.(Full story)

No relief

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As a tropical storm swirled off the coast of southern China Monday, it threatened to bring more torrential rains to the area, where storms, landslides and flooding have left hundreds dead.

Rescue operations are underway, but officials are having trouble trying to reach remote locations because roads, bridges and communications have been cut off by the flooding.

The southern China provinces have had several weeks of above-average rainfall and heavy rain, resulting in flooding and mudslides, said CNN forecaster Mari Ramos.

"This is the time of year when you're going to see the most rain ... because of the southwest monsoon," Ramos said. "Right now, you're going to see that monsoonal flow enhanced somewhat because of the tropical storm."

Tropical Storm Vongfong, churning off the south China coast Monday morning, is not expected to become a typhoon but is forecast to move inland, to the east of Hainan Island, Ramos said.

The storm is expected to spread rain northward and westward as it moves over the provinces of Guandong, Yunnan, and Guangxi, which lie just north of Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar.

Tokyo braces

The approach of Typhoon Phanfone led to a swimming ban Saturday in Kamakura, Japan, southwest of Toyko.

Across the Yellow Sea a typhoon threatened to strike Tokyo and surrounding areas within a day, officials said.

Phanfone was packing surface winds of up to 144 kph (90 mph) and was 190 kilometers (118 miles) south of the Pacific island of Hachijojima, the agency said. It was expected to hit the Izu islands, 116 kilometers (75 miles) south of Tokyo, later in the day.

The agency warned of strong winds and as much as 250 millimeters (10 inches) of rain in some areas, as the typhoon approaches.

Four ferry services and eight domestic flights servicing the islands and nearby Tokyo area were canceled, according to Japan's public television network, NHK.

On Saturday, four people disappeared in rough seas off the coast of Kanagawa prefecture (state), west of Tokyo.

Phanfone, a Laotian word meaning animal, comes nearly a month after Typhoon Fengshen -- later downgraded to a tropical storm -- hit the southwestern coast of Japan.

Yangtze River

The storms have turned the Yangtze River, China's mightiest, into a torrent, forcing the closure of the boat lock and water diversion channel at the construction site of the massive Three Gorges Dam, according to the China Daily paper.

Passengers were required to disembark and traverse the section by bus.

A resident takes away his son in a utensil from the flooded water on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Saturday.

Authorities have ordered dikes strengthened and supplies stockpiled in preparation for potentially disastrous flooding along the Yangtze, which flows past some of China's biggest cities and most heavily populated farming areas.

Flooding along the river and in northeast China in 1998 killed 4,150 people.

China has warned that this year's floods, which started earlier than usual but eased in recent weeks, could be even more serious.

Vietnam floods

To the west, Vietnam is bracing for additional problems from flooding, after at least 20 people died in the northern parts of the country over the weekend.

Local disaster management units are reinforcing dykes and are prepared for round-the-clock rescue efforts in anticipation of waters rising further.

There appeared to be no relief in sight as forecasters warned a storm was approaching the southeast coast of Hainan island in the South China Sea, which could bring torrential rains to northern Vietnam if it made landfall.

Earlier this week, landslides and floods forced 22,000 people to leave homes in the coffee-growing provinces of Lam Dong and Dong Nai, where 5,500 houses are under water.

Forecasters warned of more rain to come in South Asia in a monsoon season that has caused 911 deaths in Nepal, India and Bangladesh while displacing or isolating 25 million people since June.

Weather officials have forecast more rains and more flooding in Bangladesh and India. Most of the Bangladesh's 250 rivers originate in the Himalayas and run through India before draining into the Bay of Bengal.

-- CNN Beijing Bureau Chief Jaime FlorCruz contributed to this report.