Two dead, over 7200 evacuated amid heavy rainfall in China

Beijing, July 10 (IANS) Two of the five people who went missing amid torrential rain that hit Zhaotong, a mountainous city in southwest China's Yunnan Province, have been confirmed dead as of 6:40 pm Thursday, according to local authorities.

Search and rescue operations remain underway for the remaining three people who are still missing.

Since 7 am Tuesday, sustained heavy rainfall has swept across most parts of Zhaotong City, severely affecting multiple counties, including Zhenxiong, Weixin and Yongshan.

The deluge in Luobu Township, Weixin County, led to the collapse of two houses, Xinhua news agency reported. Zhaotong authorities have launched all-out rescue and disaster relief efforts -- evacuating over 7200 people to safety as of 7 pm Thursday.

China's national observatory renewed a yellow alert for rainstorms on Thursday evening, warning of downpours in some regions across the country.

From 8:00 pm Thursday to 8:00 pm Friday, heavy rain and rainstorms are forecast to hit parts of Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Chongqing, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hunan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Inner Mongolia, and Heilongjiang, the National Meteorological Centre said.

Parts of Guangdong and Fujian are expected to experience torrential rain, with precipitation up to 300 mm, the centre added.

Some of the aforementioned regions will experience short-term heavy rainfall, with hourly precipitation reaching 80 mm or more, accompanied by thunderstorms and gales.

The centre has advised local authorities to take precautions for heavy rainstorms, and suggested that necessary drainage measures should be taken in urban areas and across farmlands.

Last month, China's Ministry of Finance had announced the allocation of an additional 140 million yuan (about 19.5 million US dollars) in emergency disaster relief funds for flood-hit Guizhou and Hunan provinces.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

--IANS

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