Heavy rainfall impacts parts of China with 8 killed in landslide

An aerial drone photo taken on June 23, 2024 shows Wuqiangxi Township of Yuanling County in central China's Hunan Province. (Photo by Wang Sheng/Xinhua)

BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rainfall has impacted several provinces in China, including Hunan, Anhui and Guizhou, affecting tens of thousands of people.

In central China's Hunan Province, a landslide in Douxi Village, Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County, claimed eight lives on Sunday morning.

On Sunday, Hunan provincial meteorological bureau raised the emergency response level of meteorological disaster from level III to level II. Meteorological departments at all levels are required to closely monitor local weather conditions as well as the water levels of rivers and reservoirs across the province.

The local meteorological authority said that northern and central Hunan will continue to experience persistent heavy rain and torrential downpours in the coming week, with risks of floods, geological hazards and urban waterlogging.

From 8:00 a.m. Saturday to 8:00 a.m. Sunday, widespread rainfall swept areas south of Hefei, the capital city of Anhui Province. Some regions also experienced heavy rain and torrential downpours, according to the provincial emergency management department.

To date, more than 30,000 residents from dangerous areas have been evacuated in advance, and more than 4,000 people trapped by the floods have been rescued.

As of 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, five rivers in Anhui had exceeded warning levels. More than 200 tourist attractions have been temporarily closed.

In southwest China's Guizhou Province, heavy rainfall since Friday has affected 213,300 people across 41 counties, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said on Sunday.

So far, nearly 7,000 residents have been evacuated to safety and almost 1,000 people have been relocated.

Local meteorological departments forecast that Guizhou will continue to experience heavy rainfall until the end of June.

Currently, various regions in Guizhou, including the severely impacted Zhijin County in Bijie City, are actively engaged in emergency rescue and disaster relief efforts.

Meanwhile, China's meteorological and water resources authorities on Sunday evening warned of impending mountain torrents in some regions.

From 8 p.m. Sunday to 8 p.m. Monday, mountain torrents are likely to occur in parts of Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Hunan, according to an orange alert issued by the Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration.

The two departments also issued a red alert for mountain torrents in the western part of Zhejiang and the northeastern part of Jiangxi.

Mountain torrents could also be triggered by temporary heavy downpours in other areas, the alerts said.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.