Hundreds rescued as floods strike Sichuan Province

A new round of deadly flooding, triggered by heavy rainfall, led the government of Sichuan Province to issue the first red rainstorm alert in seven years on Thursday, the highest level in China's emergency response system.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that the floods had killed at least six people and left five missing in the south-western region as of Wednesday.

The floodwaters threatened scores of homes and businesses and CCTV broadcast dramatic video of people being rescued by boat and even in the scoops of excavators.

An emergency management official on Thursday said that flooding this summer had left more than 200 people dead or missing across China and caused 25 billion US dollars in direct damage.

The floods struck major river systems across the central and southern parts of the country.

Major cities have been largely spared by the flooding but the impact compounds losses to the economy from the coronavirus outbreak that began in the central city of Wuhan late last year.

Economic losses of 178.9 billion yuan ($25.7 billion) were 15.9% higher than the average from flood damage over the past five years.