BEIJING (Reuters): China’s meteorological authority on July 19 issued a heavy rain alert for parts of southern China and a geological disaster warning for areas including parts of Chongqing, where 34 people remain missing more than two days after a rain-triggered landslide.
Cutting south China diagonally, the sprawling rain belt stretches from the south-western province of Yunnan to the Yangtze River Delta in China’s eastern coast.
Rail authorities suspended some passenger trains on the Shanghai-Kunming railway on July 19 due to heavy rain, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
In Yunnan, several scenic spots including the Tiger Leaping Gorge were temporarily closed following heavy rain over the weekend.
Parts of south-western Guangxi region, still recovering from the impact of Typhoon Maysak earlier in July, are bracing themselves for a new round of rain.
China’s top flood-control authority said cumulative rainfall could reach 300mm to 450mm in eastern Guangxi from July 19 to July 21, equivalent to up to 30 per cent of the entire region’s annual precipitation.
Meanwhile, rescuers are racing to search for 34 people still missing after a landslide struck a county on the outskirts of south-west China’s Chongqing on July 17, killing eight people. -- REUTERS
