China: Rescue efforts under way after heavy rain lashes Chongqing.

Shotlist Yongchuan District, Chongqing Municipality, southwest China - May 24, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Various of flood water flowing Jiangjin District, Chongqing Municipality, southwest China - May 23, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 2. Various of swollen river 3. Aerial shot of swollen river, community 4. Flooded kindergarten 5. Amateur footage of flooded store 6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) He Xiaoxiong, store owner: "When I opened the door at a few minutes to 7:00, the water was this deep, so I rushed to move things to upper shelves. Before long, the water rose to this level, up to my thighs. I couldn't save all the products." 7. He cleaning store 8. Aerial shot of swollen river, community 9. Police officers at dock 10. Community walker calling on residents to go back home 11. Various of volunteers helping store relocate products 12. Various of community governance office 13. Various of workers clearing flood water from street Dazu District, Chongqing Municipality, southwest China - May 23, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 14. Flood water on road 15. Various of workers opening manhole cover, measuring depth of water 16. Various of inundated road Storyline Rescue operations are still underway as multiple towns and subdistricts suffered severe damage after torrential rain battered southwest China's Chongqing Municipality from late Saturday to Sunday. Heavy rains have hit 22 districts and counties in Chongqing since Saturday night, and the water levels of 22 rivers in the municipality have exceeded the warning level, according to Chongqing's hydrological monitoring station. The worse-hit area is the Yongchuan District, where three people have been killed and 17 remain missing, as well as two others in Beibei District. Downpours have triggered mudslides in Yongchuan, and roads to the core affected areas in the district have been inundated, blocking small rescue vehicles. Starting from 14:00 Sunday, Chongqing has adjusted Yongchuan District to a Level-I flood control emergency response at the municipal level, 29 districts and counties, such as Rongchang District and Beibei District, to a Level-II response, and nine districts and counties, including Yuzhong District, to a Level-III response, said the flood control and drought relief headquarters of Chongqing. The deluge started on Saturday morning at the Jiasichang Town in Jiangjin District, with a peak hourly rainfall of 51.2 millimeters. The persistent torrential rain has caused the local Qijiang River to overflow and waterlogged low-lying areas, damaging facilities at schools and shops on streets. "When I opened the door at a few minutes to 7:00, the water was this deep, so I rushed to move things to upper shelves. Before long, the water rose to this level, up to my thighs. I couldn't save all the products," said He Xiaoxiong, a local store owner. Meanwhile, heavy rain has seriously disrupted traffic in Dazu District, with flood water reaching about 50 centimeters deep on a main road at Youting Town. Local authorities have rushed to the site and opened manhole covers to speed up drainage. The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction on Sunday activated a Level-IV emergency response for floods and geological disasters in Chongqing. A work team has been dispatched to the disaster-hit areas to assess the situation on the ground and assist local disaster relief efforts, including ensuring the basic living needs of affected residents, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.