Water swept through the streets of south China's drought-stricken Guilin city Tuesday when the Lijiang River burst its banks after several days of heavy rain.

No homes or properties were affected, but all ferry services on the river were suspended, according to the authorities in Guilin, in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Seventeen people trapped on a small island in the Lijiang were transferred to safety in the afternoon, said an official of the municipal flood control and drought relief headquarters.

The water level in the river came up to 147.14 meters, 1.44 meters above the warning level, at 12:24 p.m. Tuesday and the flow rate reached 3,390 cubic meters per second, said the official.

On Monday and up to Tuesday noon, 70 mm of rain had fallen, bringing an end to the drought that began in the fall of last year, the official said.

Heavy rain would continue in the next two days, the municipal meteorological department said.

All traffic on Lijiang River was suspended and vessels were ordered to be moored in safe areas Tuesday.

The ferry service on the Lijiang river was suspended earlier this year due to the drought.

The severe drought affected Guangxi, and Yunnan and Guizhou provinces and left at least 25.39 million people and 18.08 million livestock short of water.

Go to Forum >>0 Comments