Deadly storms hit Chongqing

Rows of greenhouses in Yongchuan district, Chongqing, are submerged on Sunday, after extreme overnight rainfall triggered flash floods and geological disasters in the municipality. Rescue and emergency response operations are ongoing.HE PENGLEI/CHINA NEWS SERVICE

Devastating rainstorms struck parts of Southwest China's Chongqing over the weekend, resulting in multiple casualties and missing persons in the municipality's Yongchuan and Beibei districts. Rescue efforts are ongoing.

As of 2:30 pm on Sunday, local authorities reported three deaths and 17 people missing in Yongchuan, with another two people missing in Beibei.

According to a release from the authorities in Yongchuan on Sunday afternoon, the district was hit by extreme torrential rain that triggered flash floods and geological disasters. Chashanzhuhai subdistrict recorded 296.6 millimeters of rainfall between 2 am and 4 am on Sunday, with a peak hourly rainfall of 103.6 mm.

In Beibei, Xinglong township was severely affected by the rainstorm, recording 122.9 mm of rainfall from midnight to 3 am on Sunday, with a peak hourly rainfall of 59.4 mm. Local authorities are continuing search and rescue operations in response to the severe weather. In Yongchuan, 168 people have been evacuated as a precautionary measure, and 82 have been relocated to emergency shelters.

Later on Sunday, Chongqing authorities placed Yongchuan on a Level I emergency response for flood control, the highest alert level, due to the severity of the situation. In addition, 29 other districts and counties were upgraded to a Level II response. Specialized rescue teams have been deployed to support ongoing efforts.

In response to the flooding and geological hazards, the National Commission for Disaster Reduction activated a Level IV national disaster relief emergency response in the municipality on Sunday, and a work team has been dispatched to the affected areas to assess the damage and assist local disaster relief work.

Wu Zhengqian, deputy chief forecaster at the Chongqing Meteorological Observatory, said the recent rainfall, influenced by warm and humid air currents, intensified overnight, resulting in intermittent periods of heavy rain. More heavy rain is expected in the northwestern and northeastern parts of central and western Chongqing between midnight and 11 am on Monday.

Nationwide, the Ministry of Water Resources activated a Level IV emergency response for floods in Anhui, Henan and Shaanxi provinces on Sunday.

Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan provinces are maintaining a Level IV emergency response status.

The country is locked in a seasonal transition heavily influenced by strong, warm and humid air currents pushing up from the south and colliding with cooler northern air systems.

Contact the writers at dengrui@chinadaily.com.cn