Eight dead after rain topples wall in central China

Photo from web shows the eight dead.

WUHAN - Eight people died on Saturday after a wall collapsed due to heavy rain in Wuhan City, capital of central China's Hubei Province, according to local authorities.

The accident occurred at around 8:20 am when a 15-meter section of the wall at a company in Jiangxia District toppled, according to a statement from the district's publicity office.

Eight people walking near the wall, which stood more than two meters high, were buried by the debris and found dead after being pulled out by rescuers.

A rainstorm has battered Wuhan since Friday night. From 8 pm on Friday to 8 am on Saturday, precipitation in Jiangxia District reached 263 millimeters.

The rainfall caused waterlogging and seriously disrupted traffic, as some lakes in Wuhan cannot contain the additional rainwater.

In the city proper, traffic was cut off on 45 roads, while only large vehicles can pass 12 roads.

Water also inundated part of an expressway leading to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, prompting traffic controls to allow only public buses to transport people in and out of the airport.

In Jiangxia, dozens of residential communities saw waterlogging and more than 300 residents have been relocated.

At around 10:40 am, an entrance to a tunnel that stretches beneath Wuhan's Donghu Lake was blocked by landslide debris, disrupting traffic in both directions.

On Saturday morning, the city's meteorological observatory issued a red alert, the highest level, for heavy rain.