Record heavy rain in Chongqing, China; 17 missing, 1 dead

Heavy rain continues in central China, with some areas in Chongqing experiencing record-breaking downpours. In Yongchuan District, sudden heavy rainfall has resulted in 17 people missing and one death. According to CCTV News, from the night of the 23rd to the early morning of the 24th, heavy rain occurred in many parts of Yongchuan District, Chongqing, with some areas reaching record levels. The maximum rainfall in Chashan Bamboo Sea Street reached 296.6 mm, with a maximum hourly rainfall of 103.6 mm. Local authorities are currently carrying out emergency rescue operations. Chongqing City activated a Level 3 emergency response for geological disasters (categorized into four levels based on damage, with Level 1 being the most severe) for Yongchuan District at 7:00 AM today. Chongqing has experienced continuous rainfall in recent days. At 5:00 AM, an orange alert for heavy rain was issued, along with a warning that between 5:00 AM and 11:00 AM, there is a meteorological risk of flash floods in small watersheds in parts of 25 districts and counties in Chongqing. The heavy rain is not limited to Chongqing; it currently covers multiple central provinces. The China Meteorological Administration continued to issue a yellow alert for heavy rain at 6:00 AM, forecasting heavy to torrential rain in parts of Chongqing, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Jiangxi, Anhui, the Hetao region of Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, and Shaanxi from 8:00 AM today to 8:00 AM tomorrow.