China warns of extensive flooding after heavy rain

Chinese authorities have warned of flash floods and swift currents in mountainous areas in the eastern, central, southern and southwestern regions of the country after heavy rain.

The red alerts, the first for this year, were issued late on Thursday covering areas in the provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou and Guangxi region, state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the water resources ministry and national weather forecaster China Meteorological Administration.

China is experiencing heavy and sudden rain in many parts, which meteorologists have attributed to climate change, leaving its huge population vulnerable to related disasters.

In southern Hunan, heavy rainfall triggered the largest floods since 1998 in the upper and lower reaches of the Lishui River after its water levels breached the safety mark by more than two metres on Thursday.

In the hilly metropolis of southwestern Chongqing, apartment blocks were submerged in muddy water and vehicles were swept away in flood water gushing down streets, according to state broadcaster CCTV's footage and images from Thursday.

An image showed flood water almost reaching the top of power cable lines. Water and power supply were also disrupted in some areas, CCTV said.

Nearly 300 people were evacuated from towns and villages in Pengshui county, where cumulative daily rainfall had reached 304mm and floods were made worse by precipitation from the mountains converging into the Ditang River which had swollen by 19 metres, according to CCTV.

The water in several other rivers in Chongqing had also exceeded alert levels due to the extreme rainfall, Xinhua said.

On Wednesday, power supply was disrupted in the city of Zhaoqing in southern Guangdong province as flood water rose more than five metres above warning levels, breaking historical records, local media reported.

Reuters