Nine Dead, 11 Missing After Heavy Rain Lashes China's Chongqing

(MENAFN- IANS) Beijing, May 25 (IANS) Nine people were killed and another 11 were unaccounted for as of Monday afternoon after heavy rain, which started on Saturday night, battered Yongchuan District in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, local authorities stated.

Rescue and response efforts are still underway, Xinhua news agency reported. A sudden and extreme catastrophic rainstorm struck Yongchuan, triggering flash floods and geological disasters in multiple areas of this district, from Saturday night to early Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, the death toll from heavy rainfall in Shimen County, central China's Hunan Province, rose to seven on Sunday, with 14 others still missing, local authorities said.

The severe downpour started at 7 am on Sunday. 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.

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.

Also, last week, four people were confirmed dead, and five others remain missing after sudden, extremely heavy rainfall triggered severe flooding and landslides in Guiding County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, 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.

China's national commission for disaster prevention, reduction and relief, on May 19, activated a Level-IV disaster relief emergency response for Guizhou Province following severe flooding and geological disasters, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management. China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe response.

Heavy rainfall and flooding have struck southern and central China in recent days.

–IANS

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