(Clearwisdom.net) Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province has been hit by severe thunderstorms. The water level of several rivers has risen drastically. Seven people died and one is still missing, according to the news from Ming Daily News Net on September 3, 2001.

According to the Sichuan Disaster Relief Commission, the thunderstorms began last Friday at 3:00 AM, and lasted until noon the same day. The water level in Jingsha River and Yabi River rose significantly. Four counties and 18 towns in Panzhihua City were affected. Houses collapsed and farmland was flooded. There were also power and water outages in many parts of the area.

On September 3, the Ming Daily News Net reported that the areas upstream of the Yangtze River and the Minjiang River were hit by torrential rain for days. The water level in Yibing City, rose drastically. That Sunday afternoon, the flood water level reached a record high of 15.8 meters [about 51.8 feet ] for this year.

West China Metropolitan reported that Yibing's highest water level exceeded 16 meters Sunday evening, making it this year's largest flood peak.