Rescue operations underway to relieve Hubei flood victims

A working team has been dispatched to Central China's Hubei province as torrential rain hit the area, stranding people and causing communication and power outages on Thursday.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, the downpour battered Suizhou, Xiangyang and Xiaogan in Hubei from Wednesday night to Thursday noon.

Huang Ming, minister of emergency management, arranged rescue work via livestream. He asked the rescue team to prioritize people's lives and transfer people in distress in advance.

Huang asked the rescue team to make all-out efforts to rescue trapped people. He also urged grassroots forces to carry out inspections, promptly ascertain the situation and plug disaster prevention loopholes. He requires the team to settle trapped people while carrying out epidemic control measures.

A total of 173 rescuers and 13 vessels have been put into the rescue operation.