Heavy rain forces dozens of scenic spots shut in Huangshan

Thousands of people in an eastern Chinese tourist city have been evacuated and dozens of scenic attractions closed as torrential rain continues to lash parts of this region.

Heavy rain has battered the city of Huangshan, Anhui Province, since June 18, with the water levels of 99 of its 188 reservoirs recorded at above the danger level as of 5 p.m. on Jun 23. The lives of over 400,000 residents had been affected and 54,109 people had been evacuated as of 3 p.m..

By the morning of Jun 24, a total of 43 national A-level tourist attractions in Huangshan had been temporarily shut due to the extreme weather. Mount Huangshan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its magnificent natural beauty, has been partially closed since June 20, with the reopening date depending on weather condition.

China's National Meteorological Center on the morning of Jun 23 renewed an orange alert for rainstorms and issued a blue alert for severe convective weather.

According to the meteorological center, parts of Anhui, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Guizhou are forecast to experience torrential rain.