5 missing as heavy rainstorm lashes Southwest China's Sichuan

CHENGDU -- A heavy rainstorm has left five people missing as of Thursday night in Southwest China's Sichuan province, local authorities said.

Torrential rain battered parts of the province, including the cities of Dazhou and Guang'an, from Wednesday night to Thursday night, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

It disrupted the lives of 109,500 local residents in Dazhou, with five missing and one injured. A total of 6,324 people have been evacuated.

Sichuan has issued orange alerts, the second highest warning, for the period from 8 pm Thursday to 8 pm Friday in anticipation of geological disasters resulting from heavy rain in three counties of Dazhou, the first time the province has issued an orange alert during the flood season this year.

The provincial department of water resources has sent three working groups to the regions hit hard by heavy rain, including Dazhou, Luzhou and Liangshan, to guide the flood control and disaster relief work.