Heavy rains have battered parts of central China's Hunan Province starting Saturday night, causing waterlogging and damaging roads in some areas and triggering emergency response from local authorities.
Suining County in the province experienced heavy rains on Sunday morning, with an average precipitation of 69.2 mm and a maximum of 187.1 mm. This has led to landslides and road damages in several areas.
Local transportation department immediately dispatched emergency repair teams to the affected road sections. They deployed large machines to clear the collapsed rocks and muds from landslides and repaired the damaged roads, while trying to ensure the smooth operation of transfer routes.
According to statistics from local emergency department, the rains have impacted over 13,000 people across seven towns in the county, with some farmland flooded.
Shaoyang City experienced torrential rains from Saturday night to Sunday morning, with an average precipitation of 40.6 mm and a maximum of 174 mm. The heavy rains triggered a landslide at the entrance of a tunnel.
Local authorities immediately activated an emergency response, sending vehicles and personnel to the site to clear the road.
After more than three hours of efforts, the road resumed traffic.
Xinhua County also suffered heavy rains from Saturday morning to midnight, with accumulated precipitation of 124.7 mm. Many low-lying roads in the county have become severely waterlogged.
The heavy rains have also caused serious waterlogging at a local high school, which serves as a college entrance exam site. Local urban management staff rushed to clear the debris and silt from the drainage.
"To ensure the smooth travel for the examinees, we have deployed more people and machines. After a full night of hard work, we guaranteed the route for examinees to be clean, tidy and smooth," said Sun Zhen, a local official.
Thanks to their efforts, there was no traffic congestion at the college entrance exam sites across the county on Sunday morning, and all students entered the exam sites smoothly.
This year's national college entrance exam, also known as gaokao, started on Saturday nationwide. A total of 13.35 million Chinese students are set to sit this year's exam.
Heavy rains batter Hunan
The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.
In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.
"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.
Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."
Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.
President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.
Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.
Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.
Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests
