Heavy rain and torrential rain hit some areas of Chongqing from the early hours of May 23 to the early hours of May 24, leading to at least 17 people missing and one death. At the same time, 22 out of 37 small and medium-sized rivers have exceeded the warning level.
According to CCTV news on May 24, from 8:00 on May 23 to 8:00 on May 24, heavy to torrential rain, locally heavy rain, and even extreme heavy rain occurred in central-western and southeastern parts of Chongqing. Fuling District and 22 other districts experienced heavy rain, with Fuling District and 9 other districts encountering torrential rain. Yongchuan District experienced extreme heavy rain, with the highest daily rainfall recorded in Dashan Village, Da’an Town, Yongchuan District, Chongqing, reaching 270.0 millimeters.
According to official information from Chongqing, during the period from 2:00 to 4:00 on the 24th, Chashan Zhuhai Street in Yongchuan District experienced the highest rainfall, reaching 296.6 millimeters, with the maximum hourly rainfall reaching 103.6 millimeters. Seventeen people were reported missing, and one person died due to the sudden heavy rainfall.
At 5:00 a.m. on the 24th, Chongqing issued an orange alert for heavy rain, warning that from 5:00 to 11:00 on the same day, there would be a risk of small basin flash floods in some towns and villages in 25 districts and counties of Chongqing, with high risks in Banan, Nanchuan, Fuling, Fengdu, and Wulong; there is a risk of rising water levels in some small and medium-sized rivers in 31 districts and counties of Chongqing.
Reports indicate that 22 out of 37 small and medium-sized rivers in Chongqing have exceeded the warning level, with 12 of them at levels beyond protection; 22 rivers including Yaxi River in Banan District have surpassed the warning level. Currently, there are still 9 rivers with 15 stations in Chongqing exceeding the warning level, with 4 rivers with 7 stations beyond protection.
The water resources department predicts that from 8:00 on May 24 to 8:00 on May 25, some small and medium-sized rivers in central-western and northeastern parts of Chongqing may experience varying degrees of rising water levels, with some rivers potentially exceeding warning or protection levels; from 8:00 on May 25 to 8:00 on May 27, some small and medium-sized rivers in the northeastern part of Chongqing may also experience rising water levels, with a possibility of exceeding warning levels.
Multiple netizens from Sichuan have expressed concerns about the flooding situation, stating that the heavy rain has besieged the city and the flood situation is critical.
Some netizens wonder why the flooding has occurred so early this year.
Many others hope for the safety of those who are missing.