A heavy downpour hit Wendou county, Lichaun city in Hubei Province on Friday, with more than 300 millimeters of rainfall. Many villages were flooded. (Photos: People's Daily app; compiled by Li Han)

In response, rescue work immediately started. An emergency team of 52 firefighters came to the rescue, equipped with eight emergency vehicles, rubber boats, life jackets and safety clothes.

The storm stranded nine students and 96 teachers who had gathered to prepare ahead of the high school entrance exam. At 4 pm, a 400-meter road from Shiya village to Lichuan city was flooded, with the deepest water reaching 4 meters. Two rubber boats were dispatched to rescue the stranded students and teachers.

The rescue lasted over two hours, and the emergency team has crossed the flooded area more than 30 times. By 7 pm, all the students and teachers were delivered safely to Lichuan city.

The overall rescue effort in the county lasted more than 14 hours. By 8 pm, the local emergency team had rescued 166 people.