Rain-triggered flood hits road in SW China

CHENGDU - A torrential flood triggered by continuous rain has damaged parts of a major road in southwest China's Sichuan province, local authorities said Saturday.

A 600-meter stretch of National Road 212 was destroyed around 6 am near the city of Guangyuan, halting traffic, said Liu Jiong, an official with the Guangyuan Transportation Bureau.

National Road 212 links Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu province, with the municipality of Chongqing in the southwest.

No casualties have been reported so far, but local authorities estimated that the floods have caused direct economic losses of about 19 million yuan ($3 million).

Liu said repairs cannot take place until the rain stops, adding that it is not yet clear when traffic will resume.

China's weather authority forecast on early Saturday that heavy rains will sweep a large part of the country over the next three days.

Most parts of north China, the Sichuan Basin and the central and southern part of south China will see heavy rains or rainstorms, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

The NMC has called for precautions to be taken against potential disasters caused by heavy rains, including mudslides and floods in urban areas.

A downpour hit most parts of Beijing around noon Saturday. The Beijing government has issued a warning for heavy rain and potential geological hazards, especially in mountainous areas in the city's suburbs.