9,700 evacuated as rainstorms hit southwest China's Chongqing

CHONGQING, July 14 (Xinhua) -- More than 9,700 residents were evacuated in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality due to a new round of heavy rainfall that started Thursday, local authorities said Friday.

As of 3:00 p.m. Friday, rainstorms had battered 41 towns and neighborhoods of Chongqing, with a record-breaking maximum daily rainfall of 227 mm recorded in the Wanzhou District, according to the local meteorological service.

More than 300 hectares of crops were affected by the downpours, and dozens of houses were damaged or collapsed, according to the emergency management bureau of Wanzhou District.

The evacuation started in the early hours of Friday, with over 1,700 rescuers mobilized, said the Wanzhou District's headquarters on flood control and drought relief.

The headquarters added that this round of heavy rainfalls ended at around 6 p.m. Friday, and water pumping, dredging, and other follow-up work are underway.