Beijing, May 24 (IANS) More than 10 people were unaccounted for after heavy rain battered Yongchuan District in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, said local authorities.
According to the meteorological department, torrential rains struck parts of central and western Chongqing between 11 p.m. on Saturday and 12 a.m. on Sunday. Guankouwan and Hanjiagou Village in the district logged 296.7 mm and 256.9 mm of extraordinary rainstorms, respectively.
Given the short interval between the current and previous rounds of heavy rainfall, the continuous precipitation poses a higher risk of inducing geological disasters, including landslides, collapses, and debris flows, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting the meteorological authorities.
Chongqing has activated a Level-III emergency response for geological disasters in the Yongchuan District at 7 a.m. on Sunday. The local relevant departments are carrying out emergency rescue work.
Meanwhile, the death toll from heavy rainfall in Shimen County, central China’s Hunan Province, rose to seven, with 14 others still missing, local authorities said.
Among the missing, five were added following further investigation, according to the county’s emergency management and production safety committee. Search and rescue operations are underway.
The severe downpour started at 7 a.m. on May 17. It is the first round of torrential rain to hit the county this year. A total of 23 townships and districts have been affected, according to the municipal emergency management bureau of Changde City, which administers Shimen.
Search and rescue operations are underway, alongside efforts to repair damaged infrastructure and guarantee daily necessities for affected residents.
The National Development and Reform Commission said on Wednesday that it has urgently allocated 50 million yuan (about 7.31 million US dollars) from the central government’s investment budget to support post-flood emergency recovery efforts in Hunan Province.
Some areas in Hunan have been hit by severe flooding, resulting in heavy casualties and property losses. Continuous heavy rainfall has lashed the province’s Shimen County, leaving five people dead and 11 others missing, according to local authorities.
–IANS
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