Guilin raises red flood warning as river surges

Guilin, a tourism city in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, raised a red flood warning signal on Wednesday when the water level of the Lijiang River, which runs through the city, reached 3.61 meters above the warning line.

The water level at the river's hydrological station in the Rongjiang township section has set a record high since its establishment, local authorities said in a statement.

Meanwhile, other rivers and tributaries connected to the Lijiang River that run through the Guilin urban area, the counties and townships of Xing'an, Lingchuan, Lingui, Yongfu and Quanzhou are also reported to have had water levels rise above the warning lines on Wednesday, threatening the safety of the lives and properties of the residents living along the rivers, said the statement.

Guilin city government has urged relevant departments, townships and scenic spots to introduce concrete and effective measures to prevent and fight against possible flood disasters in the days to come when water levels of major rivers in the city continued to rise on Wednesday, it said.

In Laibin city, authorities raised the emergency response for flood control to level three following rapidly rising river levels due to the continuous downpour.

The local marine department has coordinated two ferries to help rescue 53 people who were stranded by the flood in Yunjiang township on Wednesday.