China's Chongqing launches emergency flood response

A torrential downpour has prompted southwest China's megacity Chongqing to activate a level-IV emergency flood response, local authorities said Monday.

Heavy rain battered 10 districts and counties of the municipality between 8 am Sunday and 8 am Monday, with Xiushan County recording record-high daily rainfall at 175 mm, the Chongqing hydrological monitoring station said.

The rainstorm has pushed up water levels in 40 middle and small rivers in Chongqing by between one and eight meters, the station said, predicting more rivers in the area including the Yangtze River to see rising water levels.

The level-IV response is the lowest in China's four-tier emergency response system.

The station said it had notified the affected districts and counties to closely monitor the rain, publish timely warnings and take precautions against possible floods and mountain torrents.

On Sunday, Chongqing's neighbor Hubei Province also activated a level-IV emergency response for meteorological disasters after downpours lashed several cities.