At least 181 people have lost their lives in central and eastern China following a week of non-stop torrential downpours. Swollen rivers broke through dams and flooded cities and villages across a large swathe of the country. The city of Wuhan, which has eight million residents and sits on the Yangtze river, had a record weekly rainfall of 574mm (22.6in). This is almost as much rain as London receives in one year (594mm or 23.4in).
Water levels have begun receding, but communities further down the Yangtze river are braced for record surges. Water levels in the lower parts of the Yangtze and in some major lakes in the region have all reached dangerous levels. President Xi Jinping ordered the army and armed police to be dispatched to help in the disaster areas. IBTimes UK presents photos of the flooding in several provinces across a huge area of China.
An aerial view of the flooded Xinhua Road Sports Centre Stadium in Wuhan, central China's Hubei provinceAFPFloodwaters surround farm houses on the outskirts of Changzhou, Jiangsu provinceAFPTrees and houses are submerged after a dam burst along the Xiangyang River in Xinji Village in Yangzhou in east China's Jiangsu provinceAFPChinese soldiers and workers try to repair a collapsed dam along the Xiangyang River in Xinji Village in Yangzhou, in east China's Jiangsu provinceAFPAerial view of a flooded area of Nanjing, Jiangsu provinceVCG via Getty ImagesA man tows people sitting in an inflatable boat in Wuhan, Hubei provinceAFPChinese Premier Li Keqiang visits Wuhan's Yangtze River embankment to inspect flood control and relief workAFPA man takes a selfie in the floodwaters in Wuhan, Hubei provinceWang He/Getty ImagesA man transports good through floodwaters in Zongyang county, in east China's Anhui provinceAFPA woman carries her daughter through a flooded area in Zongyang county, in east China's Anhui provinceAFPA flooded road in a residential area of Nanjing, Jiangsu ProvinceVCG via Getty ImagesThe swollen Liujiang River threatens to engulf the city of Liuzhou in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionAFPTrees and roads along the Liujiang River in Liuzhou are submergedAFP
