Rescuers rush to save flood victims in Guangdong, Fujian

Rescuers are going all out in their attempts to find and rescue people stranded by floodwaters in Guangdong and Fujian provinces, which have been hit by torrential rains.

In Nanping, Fujian province, 69 stranded people were successfully evacuated to safety as of 8 am on Tuesday, a statement released by the city government said.

The water level in Nanping's Guangze county reached up to 230.9 meters, which was as much as 2.4 meters above the warning line during the peak period. Floodwater inundated many places in the county on Monday and stranded numerous residents, it said.

Rescue teams of local armed police carried rubber boats, life jackets and rescue ropes, among other things, to the severely affected areas. Meanwhile rescuers investigated areas of high risk of landslides and related geological disasters.

More than 1,800 rescuers with equipment have converged on the city. In Meizhou, Guangdong province, three helicopters were sent to stricken areas to help in the search for the missing.

The catastrophic floods — the result of sustained storms — have killed at least nine people so far. At least 17 were missing and 13 were stranded in Guangdong and Fujian provinces.