China makes all-out rescue, relief efforts after rain-triggered disasters cause severe casualties

XI'AN/CHENGDU/BEIJING -- Heavy rainfall has been wreaking havoc across wide swathes of China, causing severe casualties, leaving dozens of people missing, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate and disrupting traffic.

Amid the worst-hit areas, a rescue operation is continuing in Southwest China's Sichuan province, with more than 30 people still missing after flash floods struck Xinhua village at around 2:30 am Saturday, local authorities said. The disaster disrupted traffic on roads and bridges, and cut off communications in the area.

Meanwhile, more than 700 professional rescuers and over 1,500 local people are searching for 31 people who are unaccounted for after their vehicles plunged into a flooding river due to a highway bridge collapse amid torrential rains in Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

As of Saturday afternoon, 12 people have been confirmed dead and 31 others are still missing, according to a press conference held in Zhashui county, in the city of Shangluo, Shaanxi.

In addition, 12 people were found dead, and one person was rescued, according to a press conference held in Zhashui County, in the city of Shangluo, on Saturday.

Zhao Jing, Party chief of Shangluo, said the rainstorm triggered a flash flood on the Jinqian River in Zhashui at about 8:40 p.m. Friday, causing a 40-meter-long section of the No. 2 Bridge in Yanping Village to collapse.

The 366-meter bridge spanning the Jinqian River is a part of the Danfeng-Ningshan expressway.

Zhao said that, based on the highway toll system and video surveillance, as well as telephone inquiries, the rescuers concluded that a total of 17 cars and eight trucks had plunged into the river.

Rescuers are still searching for 18 vehicles with 31 people aboard along a 60 km stretch downstream from the collapse site, Zhao told the press.

The search operation has made use of drones and kayaks. The local authorities have been making contact with family members of the victims, and carried out measures to prevent secondary disasters, while monitoring geographical risks and fighting the flooding in the area.

Before the press conference, the participants observed a moment of silence for the victims.

The water flow of the river has now slowed to 130 cubic meters per second, with the water level dropping by more than three meters, compared with the level when the bridge collapse occurred, making the conditions conducive to the search and rescue work.

Zhao said that six rounds of heavy downpours have lashed the region since the beginning of July, increasing the risk of flooding on five major rivers, with disasters reported in seven counties and districts of the city. A total of 64,278 people have been affected. The local authorities have relocated 37,597 people due to safety concerns.

Chinese ministries of finance and emergency management have allocated 260 million yuan ($36.62 million) to support local governments in disaster relief efforts.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Saturday initiated a Level-IV emergency response in three provincial regions involving Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan as the country continues to face severe flooding situations.

China's southernmost province of Hainan is on alert for a tropical depression that is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon, making landfall on its eastern coast on Sunday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain over most of the island province and lasting for three days.

The local transport and port authorities announced a halt to ferry operations across the Qiongzhou Strait from 9 am Sunday, and wired sailing vessels to take shelter from the wind.

Elsewhere in northeast China, the Heilongjiang provincial meteorological observatory on Saturday afternoon issued three red warnings -- the highest level -- for heavy rain, as three cities hit by torrential rain were likely to be lashed by continued rainfall in the next three hours, with cumulative rainfall of 100 millimeters or more.