Town besieged by floodwaters is calling for reinforcements

Water levels are expected to rise further in Jiangxi's Jiujiang, local authorities say

A small township surrounded by the rising Yangtze River in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, has called on residents working elsewhere to return to join the flood prevention effort as it faces an "extremely severe" situation.

Jiujiang issued a red alert for heavy rain on Tuesday, with more than 100 millimeters of rainfall recorded in just three hours. It has rained for 15 consecutive days — since June 18 — with the accumulated rainfall more than double the average for this time of year.

Its 16 hydrological stations recorded water at or above warning levels at 8 am on Tuesday, with the Jiujiang station on the Yangtze River recording a water level of 21.41 meters, which is 1.41 meters higher than the warning level.