China issues top-level red alert for flash floods in Anhui,

BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued a top-level red alert for flash floods on Sunday amid torrential rain across the country's central and eastern regions.

Authorities warned that parts of western Anhui and eastern Hubei provinces face an exceptionally high risk of sudden mountain floods from 8 p.m. Sunday to 8 p.m. Monday.

An orange alert, the second-highest level, was also declared for parts of Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Hubei. Local governments have been ordered to carry out real-time monitoring and proactive evacuations for those affected.

From Sunday night to Monday night, heavy-to-torrential downpours are forecast for southern Henan, western and southern Anhui, northwestern Hunan, northeastern Jiangxi, and northeastern Chongqing. Some areas in southwestern Anhui and eastern Hubei are bracing for extreme, record-level rainstorms.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued a yellow alert for geological disasters across 10 provinces, including Shanxi, Anhui, and Hubei.

The landslide risk was further elevated to an orange alert for southern Anhui and eastern Hubei, indicating a high likelihood of mudslides and terrain collapse.

All levels of government have been instructed to immediately activate emergency contingency protocols. Officials have also strongly advised the public to monitor rolling updates and avoid traveling to mountainous or high-risk tourist areas.