Nearby Rongjiang county has been hit especially hard, with floodwaters reaching levels not seen in 30 years. Large parts of the county were submerged as rainfall combined with upstream water flow pushed several rivers past their "once-in-30-years" flood threshold, the local flood control office said.

By noon on Tuesday, the Rongjiang government raised its flood alert to the highest level and forecast that water levels would peak at 255 meters at around 1 pm — about 3.5 meters above the guaranteed safety level.

Authorities ordered residents in most of the county's old town and parts of the new urban district to evacuate to higher ground by 9 am.

"The rain has stopped now, but the floodwaters are still quite high and expected to rise," resident Wu Hanjun told China Daily at 3:30 pm.

Aerial footage recorded at midday showed city streets flooded, with videos posted on social media revealing that the famed Village Super League football field was also underwater.

Personnel from the People's Armed Police Force are also deployed in the area to assist with disaster relief, bringing life jackets and boats to aid in evacuations and rescue.

Southern China has been battered by seasonal rainfall since June 17, causing widespread flooding across provinces including Hunan, Guangdong, and Guizhou. A number of areas have received more than 100 millimeters of rain, while some parts of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and Guizhou, Hunan, and Hubei provinces have seen more than 300 millimeters, China Central Television reported.

On Monday, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management allocated 300 million yuan ($41.8 million) in central government funding to seven provincial-level regions for disaster relief and emergency response efforts.