At least 15 people have been killed by floods in southwestern China as seasonal torrents hit mountain areas, authorities said yesterday.
Another four people were reported missing by mid-morning in Chongqing, a vast mountainous region of 31 million, almost all of which has now been designated as having flood risk, according to the local government website.
The Chongqing floods appear to be China's deadliest amid deluges in other parts of the country. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated.
Rescue teams in inflatable boats were ferrying villagers to safety and workers were clearing roads blocked by landslides, according to photos posted on the government website.
In neighboring Sichuan province, more than 85,000 people have been evacuated due to flooding, Xinhua reported, adding that more 460,000 had been affected by the heavy rain so far this month.
Seasonal flooding hits large parts of China every year, particularly in the semi-tropical south. However, some northern regions this year have reported the worst floods in 50 years.
But more is still to come, with officials warning that China is set to face "multiple natural disasters in July, including floods, severe convection weather, typhoons and high temperatures."
In response, President Xi Jinping has ordered that "authorities at all levels must give top priority to ensuring people's safety and property," Xinhua said.
China's finance ministry has issued 320 million yuan (HK$345.6 million) in disaster relief to affected regions, which it said would be used by local governments to boost emergency search and rescue efforts.
China's deadliest and most destructive floods in recent history were in 1998, when 4,150 people died, most of them along the Yangtze River.
Meanwhile, much of China, including Beijing, is sweltering under heatwaves that arrived earlier and have lasted for more consecutive days than in decades. Temperatures in the capital were forecast to hit 40 degrees Celsius today.
