An aerial drone photo taken on July 11, 2024 shows rescue personnel assisting flooded vehicles in Chengxi Town, Dianjiang County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. (Photo/Tang Yi, Xinhua)

Chongqing - Death toll from heavy rainfalls in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has risen to six, local authorities said on Thursday.

Downpours have hit the municipality since Wednesday evening, raising water above alert levels in 15 rivers.

At 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, Chongqing issued a citywide meteorological risk warning for geological disasters.

According to the municipal meteorological bureau, heavy rain is expected to continue to batter the city from Thursday night to Saturday night.

Under the influence of heavy rainfall and incoming water upstream, the Yangtze and Jialing rivers have seen the biggest surge of water since the flood season began this year.

To ensure shipping safety, Chongqing maritime safety bureau on Thursday issued a yellow alert (Level III) for marine traffic safety and has implemented temporary traffic control measures on some waters.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most urgent response, and a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.