5 dead, 1 missing as rainstorm batters China's Hubei

WUHAN -- Downpour lashed Central China's Hubei province during the weekend, leaving five dead and one missing, local authorities said Monday.

Heavy rain hit Jianshi county of Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture late Saturday, causing waterlogging and landslides after intense downpours, according to the Jianshi government.

The government has raised the flood prevention emergency response level from Level II to Level I, the highest level of China's four-tier emergency-response system for floods.

As of 6 pm Sunday, the rainfall has affected more than 160,000 residents, with 60,000 having been evacuated. It also affected some 2,900 hectares of crops, the government said.

So far, road traffic, communications, water and electricity supplies in the county's downtown have been basically restored.