Heavy rain from Wednesday night to Thursday caused landslides that blocked all access roads to the affected areas. By 6 pm on Thursday, one of the roads had been cleared, allowing excavators and other heavy machinery to enter, according to China Central Television.

Xu Lin, Party secretary of Guizhou, went to the emergency command center to oversee the rescue operation. Provincial Governor Li Bingjun later arrived at the site with relevant provincial departments to direct search and rescue efforts and other emergency measures.

According to publicly released information, the Dafang county meteorological station upgraded its heavy rain warning from orange to red — the highest level in the four-tier system — at 3:33 am on Thursday, and reissued the red alert at 6:45 am.

The forecast predicted that rainfall in several areas, including Changshi and Guowa, would exceed 150 millimeters over the next three hours.

Authorities were urged to strengthen drainage and flood control, guard against rain-triggered hazards such as mountain floods, landslides and debris flows, and evacuate residents from high-risk areas and unstable housing without delay.

liuboqian@chinadaily.com.cn