12,700 evacuated as heavy rains lash NE China's Liaoning

SHENYANG -- A total of about 12,700 people had been evacuated in Northeast China's Liaoning province by Monday morning, as torrential rain battered the region since Sunday morning, local authorities said.

Heavy to torrential rains lashed southeastern Liaoning from 8 am Sunday to 11 am Monday, with downpours in some areas, while northern and western parts of the province saw light to moderate rain and localized heavy to torrential rains in a few spots.

Red alerts for torrential rain remain in effect across multiple parts of Liaoning. As of 6 am Monday, nine cities had activated flood emergency responses, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

The provincial emergency management department has directed eight cities, including Dalian, Anshan and Dandong, to place 3,611 rescue and emergency response teams totaling over 127,000 personnel on standby for flood relief. Dandong alone had evacuated 8,078 people by 6 am Monday.

The Dandong meteorological observatory issued a red alert for torrential rain at 11:33 am Monday, reporting that 160 to 240 mm of precipitation had fallen in the urban area over the previous 11 hours. Another 100 to 130 mm is expected in the following six to eight hours, with the maximum hourly rainfall intensity hitting 70 mm and the cumulative total potentially exceeding 350 mm by the end of the event.

China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.