Torrential rains leave five missing in Yunnan

Rescue operations are underway after torrential rains in a village of Zhaotong, Yunnan province, have left five people missing and destroyed two homes, China Central Television reported on Wednesday.

From Monday morning to Tuesday afternoon, Zhaotong experienced widespread heavy rainfall, including extreme localized downpours. Weixin county in Zhaotong recorded a maximum rainfall of 254.4 millimeters, setting a single-day record since tracking began in 1958, the report said.

Preliminary investigations show that two houses in Heilong village of Weixin county were destroyed by the floods, and five people remain missing.

Over 7,000 residents affected have been relocated.

The downpours have triggered severe flooding and landslides across parts of the region. Initial estimates suggest over 200 road collapses in Weixin county alone, with more than 40 sections rendered impassable and over 300 kilometers of roads damaged.

The extreme weather also sparked more than 20 landslides and a dozen mudflows, devastated crops, and drowned over 500 livestock.