Heavy flooding in southern city forces evacuations and leaves vehicles submerged

[AP Photo]

Heavy flooding from torrential rain left cars submerged and forced the evacuation of more than 200 residents in a southern Chinese city, state media reported yesterdayu.

Rescue crews deployed inflatable boats to help relocate some residents trapped in their homes in Qinzhou city in Guangxi region, official news agency Xinhua reported. Video footage from Xinhua showed rescuers wading through chest-high water and firefighters carrying elderly residents in their arms.

Qinzhou authorities said the city’s meteorological station recorded rainfall of over 270 millimeters (about 10 inches) during a 24-hour period ending at 8 a.m. on Monday. That was the highest amount recorded there on a single day in April.

The authorities quoted meteorological analyst Lin Nan in a WeChat post saying that such intense rainfall in South China’s coastal regions typically occurs only after the arrival of the summer monsoon in mid to late May. It is rare to see such a heavy downpour in late April, Lin said.

Yesterday morning, schools across the city resumed classes and traffic ran normally in most places, according to a news outlet operated by the Chinese emergency management authorities. MDT/AP