Car insurance companies have received tens of thousands of claims from drivers after Shanghai was lashed by a fierce rainstorm last week, the heaviest to hit the city in five decades.

China Pacific Insurance said it had received more than 13,000 claims related to the rainstorm in Shanghai and neighboring Zhejiang province as of Oct 10, two days after the storm.

A Buick car dealer in the city's Minhang district said he had dealt with such claims from nearly 100 car owners by Oct 11, many times the number for an average rainy day.