Beijing, June 9 (BNA): Continuous torrential rain lashed parts of southwestern China on Friday, causing floods in cities, sweeping away roads and partially submerging buildings.
The first particularly severe summer rains, locally known as “dragon boat waters”, saw the city of Beihai in Guangxi record 453 mm on Thursday.
This was a daily regional record for the month of June, according to the China Meteorological Service, Reuters reports.
Videos circulating on social media showed that cars were half underwater in the flooded streets of Beihai, and in a multi-storey building, water slid down a ladder as firefighters raced to rescue its residents.
It rained in the neighboring city of Yulin for 35 hours until 7 a.m. local time Friday (2300 GMT Thursday), CCTV broadcaster reported.
Rainfall is expected to continue in southern China over the coming days, the Meteorological Bureau reports, while the northeastern region is also expected to experience sudden thunderstorms.
China, which is prone to flooding, is increasingly warning of more severe weather due to climate change. Guangxi experienced a rare severe drought in May, with precipitation dropping to the lowest level in 60 years.
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