More than 20,000 residents in Shanxi Province have been relocated after heavy rain hit the province during the National Day holidays, the local authorities told media.
The heavy downpour started in Shanxi on Saturday and between Sunday and Thursday, precipitation in many places in the province exceeded 100 millimeters, reaching a historic high. In Jinzhong and Linfen, the precipitation even exceeded 200 millimeters.
The rain stopped on Thursday but a new round of rainfall is expected on Friday and Saturday, according to the local meteorological department.
The rain has flooded villages causing the displacement and relocation of 8,000 residents in Yuncheng city and another 15,000 in Qingxu county in Taiyuan.
It also destroyed the supports under a railway crossing over the Changyuan River in Qixian county. A video published on Wednesday went viral on social media platforms showing the railway hanging in the air without abutments. Maintenance personnel started to make urgent repairs on the railway since Thursday morning.
Days of heavy downpours have also caused floods and landslides that have resulted in four dead and several injured in Linfen city.
Not only Shanxi, many places across the country also experienced heavy rainfall during the holidays. Seven working groups were sent by the Ministry of Water Resources to the provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong to provide aid on flood prevention and control efforts.
