BEIJING, May 18 (Reuters) – Heavy rain has pummelled central and eastern China since Saturday, inundating streets, disrupting traffic in some cities and forcing thousands of people to seek shelter.
China’s emergency authorities said on Monday the precipitation is currently “at its strongest stage,” warning of mountain torrents, urban waterlogging and river flooding.
• Record-breaking rainfall was recorded across several places in the central Chinese province of Hubei, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
• From Saturday afternoon to 1:00 p.m. on Monday, 337 townships in Hubei recorded over 100 mm of rain with one village seeing the peak of 507 mm rain – over 40% of Hubei’s average annual precipitation.
• Several cities in Hubei, including Jingzhou, on Monday suspended work, production, business operations, transport services and school classes in central urban areas.
• A total of 19 train services at Jingzhou railway station have been suspended on Monday due to heavy rainfall, CCTV reported citing railway authorities.
• Daily rainfall in Yichang, also in Hubei, broke a 36-year record over the weekend for 24-hour volume, the Hubei Daily said.
• In Hunan province, over 15,000 people were evacuated as heavy rain pounded its western and northern regions.
• The death toll rose to five after a pickup truck carrying 15 passengers fell into a flooded river in the southwestern region of Guangxi over the weekend, state media reported as the search for those missing continues.
• Widespread rainfall across central and eastern China is expected to persist through Wednesday, with the main rain belt moving east and pushing further south, CCTV says.
(Reporting by Shi Bu, Ethan Wang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )
