Heavy rains bring floods to southwest

Vulnerable communities were told to seek refuge on higher ground as multiple rivers burst their banks after days of rain in China's flood-hit province of Guizhou, the southwestern end of a seasonal rain belt that stretches all the way to Japan.

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At least two riverside cities — Congjiang and Rongjiang — each with a population of over 300,000, yesterday told residents on the banks of fast-rising rivers and in low-lying areas to flee.

The mountainous province of Guizhou and other parts of southern China have been battered by heavy rains since last week as the annual East Asia monsoon kicked into high gear, breaking rainfall records in parts of China.