• Guizhou province hit by severe flooding for the second time in a week.
• Authorities have evacuated more than 40,000 residents from affected areas.
• Record rainfall has led to at least six fatalities and significant infrastructure damage.

Heavy rain has struck China's southwestern Guizhou province again, inundating the riverside city of Rongjiang, which is facing flooding for the second time this week. The city, located at the confluence of three rivers and home to around 300,000 residents, has already suffered severe impacts from previous record downpours that left six dead and forced over 80,000 people to evacuate their homes. The rainfall recorded in just 72 hours was double the city's average for June, prompting an urgent response from authorities who raised the flood emergency alert to its highest level on Saturday, according to Channel News Asia, Reuters, and Dawn.

As of 6 PM on Saturday, hydrological stations indicated that water levels could peak at 253.5 meters, exceeding safety thresholds by two meters. The flooding has cut transportation and communication links within the affected areas, leading to significant infrastructure damage and prompting evacuation orders for several localities within Rongjiang County. A travel blogger reported on social media that the heavy rains submerged vast areas of farmland and public walkways, raising concerns of complete inundation in local villages as precipitation continued, according to South China Morning Post and Reuters.

The recent inundations have been characterized as some of the worst in decades, with floodwaters in some locations rising to over six meters, as seen on soccer fields, which were submerged earlier this week. Local officials attribute the extreme flooding to climate-related factors, suggesting it may contribute to economic disruptions in a region that was removed from the national poverty list just three years ago and experienced a tourism boom. Long-standing flood management challenges have resurfaced with increased rainfall frequency, according to Channel News Asia and Dawn.