Emergency responders have intensified rescue and evacuation efforts across the south as the impact of days of record-breaking rainfall in parts of the country continues to unfold, with flood threats, infrastructure damage and transportation disruptions persisting across several regions.
By Thursday, the death toll from heavy rains stood at 16, with several people still unaccounted for in the provinces of Hunan, Guizhou and Hubei, authorities said.
In Guangdong province, Kaiping and Enping, issued notices to suspend classes from Thursday, when heavy and torrential rains battered the county.
Influenced by the southwest monsoon, extreme torrential rainfall has hit Yangchun of Yangjiang city, Kaiping and Enping of Jiangmen, Doumen of Zhuhai, and nearby areas since Wednesday.
According to local authorities, the entire province is on alert to implement flood prevention measures, with more than 16,000 residents already evacuated from high-risk areas as of Thursday.
On Thursday, rescuers had to evacuate an elderly couple in Enping, one of whom was immobile, who were trapped at home.
Firefighters used a bamboo ladder from a nearby village to build a simple bridge over the rushing water to reach the couple and pull them to safety.
Shimen county in Hunan is among the hardest-hit areas in the province, where the death toll rose to six persons, with 10 others still missing as of the morning of May 21. — China Daily/ANN
