China's southern regions are facing widespread flooding after prolonged downpours. Authorities have evacuated hundreds of thousands of residents from the worst affected areas.
Continuous monsoon rains have hit southwestern China, turning city streets into raging torrents. In Guizhou and Guangxi provinces, rivers overflowed and flooded highways, washing parked cars into underground parking lots and shopping centers. Local authorities have urgently evacuated more than 300,000 people from coastal communities where water levels continue to rise rapidly.
Destruction of critical infrastructure is a particular danger - bridges and road sections cannot withstand the pressure of mudflows. In the cities of Kongjiang and Zhongjiang, rescuers are helping residents move to higher ground as the situation is forecast to worsen further. Meteorologists attribute the abnormal precipitation to changing climate patterns in the region, noting the unusually early start of the flood season, lenta.ru writes.
The Chinese government has sent additional forces of the army and the Ministry of Emergency Situations to eliminate the consequences of the disaster. However, the scale of the disaster continues to expand - agricultural lands are under water, which threatens food problems.