Trapped Shanghai tourists rescued in Zhejiang
Vehicles trapped in flooded terrain.
Rescue efforts undertaken in Ningbo.
Severe weather trapped more than 100 tourists from Shanghai in flooded mountainous areas in Zhejiang Province in two separate incidents during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, but all have been rescued.
About 30 off-road vehicles carrying 81 tourists from Shanghai were trapped in intertidal zones near Jinyun County's Xinfan Village on Saturday, the first day of the holiday, after sudden torrential rain led to flooding.
They sought help from the local government after water levels rose more than 1 meter above ground. Rescue teams soon arrived but fire engines could not reach the scene.
Rescue crews aboard boats reached the trapped tourists, and after four hours transferred them to safe areas.
In another incident, 67 Shanghai tourists were trapped on Sunday night in mountainous areas at the border of Ningbo's Ninghai County and Taizhou's Tiantai County due to torrential rain.
During an overnight search, all were rescued.
The area features a large number of valleys and deep pools, making it a popular destination for backpackers. The Ninghai County Meteorological Bureau issued an orange alert for torrential rain on Sunday afternoon.
"The entire rescue process lasted 15 hours, as we used rope to cross the river for about 40 meters due to turbulent water. We rescued 23 people and the rest were taken out by local villagers," said Han Xiao, a rescue crew member.
