Over 60,000 evacuated for heavy downpours in China's Sichuan

CHENGDU - Heavy rains have affected more than 60,000 residents in Southwest China's Sichuan province, local authorities said Sunday.

The downpours hit the western Sichuan Basin and the eastern part of the plateau area in western Sichuan from 8 am Saturday to 8 am Sunday. Continuous rainfall has caused 31 rivers in the province to exceed warning levels.

Farmland, transportation, water conservancy and other infrastructure in various parts of the province have been damaged to varying degrees, including the capital city of Chengdu, and the cities of Deyang and Mianyang.

Downpours led to the evacuation of some 60,000 residents in the areas. No deaths or missing persons have been reported so far, the province's flood control and drought relief headquarters said.

The provincial meteorological observatory issued a yellow alert for rainstorms at 4 pm Saturday, before a Level III emergency response for flood control was issued. China has a four-tier flood control emergency response system, with level I representing the most severe.