2023-07-05 07:32:36
BEIJING (AP) — At least 15 people died in flooding in mountainous areas of southwestern China battered by seasonal torrents, authorities said Wednesday.
By mid-morning, four more were missing in Chongqing, a sprawling mountainous region with a population of 31 million. Almost the entire province was at risk of flooding, according to the local government website.
The floods in Chongqing appeared to be among the deadliest in the country. Tens of thousands of people had been evacuated. More than 85,000 people were transferred in Sichuan province alone, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Notices in Congqing were raised from level four to three, reflecting the increasing severity of the crisis.
Rescue teams in inflatable boats were taking villagers to safety, while work crews cleared streets blocked by landslides, according to photos posted on the government website.
Seasonal flooding occurs every year in much of China, especially in the southern zone with a subtropical climate. However, this year some areas in the north have recorded their worst incidents in 50 years.
In 2021, more than 300 people died in the central province of Henan. Record rains inundated the provincial capital of Zhengzhou on July 20 of that year, turning streets into torrents and inundating at least part of one subway line.
The worst floods in recent history in China occurred in 1998, when 4,150 people died, mostly in the Yangtze River basin.
Meanwhile, much of the country, including Beijing, suffered successive heat waves, which have started earlier and lasted for more consecutive days than in decades. Temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) were expected in the Chinese capital on Thursday.
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