On the night of May 23rd to the early hours of May 24th, Yongchuan, Chongqing, was hit by heavy rain, triggering flash floods and geological disasters. More than 3200 kilograms of fish from a local agritainment farm were washed away by the flood, and 55 black-feathered chickens drowned, resulting in an estimated economic loss of 100,000 yuan (RMB).
According to the announcement from Yongchuan District in Chongqing, from 11:00 pm on May 23rd to around 8:20 am on May 24th, Yongchuan District experienced severe rainfall. The Tea Mountain Bamboo Sea Street in the jurisdiction recorded the largest rainfall from 2:00 am to 4:00 am on the 24th, reaching 296.6 millimeters in total, with the maximum hourly rainfall reaching 103.6 millimeters. As of 2:30 pm on the 24th, the heavy rain has resulted in at least 3 deaths and 17 people missing.
Reported by Xiaoxiang Morning Post Video, the heaviest rainfall occurred in the Tea Mountain Bamboo Sea Street of Yongchuan District, leading to multiple incidents of scattered geological disasters in the Tea Mountain Bamboo Sea Street, Zhongshan Road Street, and Shuangshi Town (a term usually referring to natural disasters such as flash floods, landslides, and mudslides triggered by extreme weather that occur simultaneously or successively in multiple dispersed areas in a short period of time).
On May 24th, Mr. Cheng, the operator of “Man Cang Angling and Picking Agritainment” in Yongchuan District, recounted the heavy losses brought by the floods. Mr. Cheng’s agritainment mainly focuses on breeding specialty fish species such as sturgeons, which can be sold for over 30 yuan per kilogram in the market. In addition to sturgeons, he also raised more than 20 other fish species such as catfish, bass, grass carp, and tilapia, totaling over 3200 kilograms.
Mr. Cheng stated that almost all of the 3200 kilograms of specialty fish he bred were swept away by the flood, and 55 black-feathered chickens drowned. The estimated economic loss amounts to 100,000 yuan, with the specific economic losses still being further calculated. The post-disaster recovery pressure is extremely high.
Mr. Cheng’s social media account shows that the Man Cang Angling and Picking Park combines fishing, fruit-picking, and dining. The park also features a unique picking area where visitors can pick strawberries in spring and summer, watermelons in summer, and grapes in late summer and autumn.
According to Mr. Cheng’s earlier statement to Red Star News, the rain intensified around 11:00 pm on the 23rd, and the water levels rose rapidly from 2:00 to 3:00 am on the 24th. By morning, the venue was already flooded, with only the “yurt” of the agritainment remaining.
Mr. Cheng expressed concern that the flood arrived too rapidly, causing all the facilities and equipment at the agritainment to be paralyzed. Currently, it is impossible for people to pass through, and it is uncertain if there will be more heavy rain, as the accumulated water has not receded yet.