Heavy rainfall hits SW China, 5 missing in Sichuan

CHENGDU -- A rain-triggered landslide buried a house in Shizhuang village, Xuyong county in Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Wednesday morning, leaving five people missing, according to local authorities.

Heavy rainfall hit Zhengdong township, Xuyong county, from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning. The county government reported that 24 residents near the landslide area have been relocated.

Search and rescue operations for the missing are underway.

Personnel from local emergency management and healthcare departments, as well as geological experts, fire and rescue teams, and local disaster relief forces, have been mobilized to the site.

Meanwhile, neighboring Chongqing municipality has also been battered by severe downpours since Tuesday, with over 100 rainfall stations recording 24-hour precipitation levels classified as extreme heavy rain and heavy rain, according to the municipal meteorological and emergency management departments.

As of 6 am Wednesday, over 550 residents in Chongqing were evacuated. No casualties or additional missing persons have been reported.

Moderate to heavy rain is expected to persist in central and western Chongqing on Wednesday, with isolated torrential showers. Authorities have warned that water levels in some rivers across the region may rise in the coming days, with certain areas facing the risk of exceeding flood alert thresholds.