Race against floods in China's typhoon-hit Fujian

Torrential rain brought by Typhoon Saudel has flooded parts of Putian City, east China's Fujian Province, trapping residents in waterlogged homes and leaving some people missing.

Putian recorded 416.5 millimeters of rain in two days – Thursday and Friday – breaking the city's September record for daily precipitation, according to China Media Group (CMG). Some villages and towns saw more than 500 millimeters.

Water levels in major rivers surged beyond drainage capacity, sparking a flurry of emergency calls, Fu Weibin, the head of the Putian fire and rescue detachment, told CMG.

Swamped roads and heavy rain grounded fire engines and drones in the early stages. Rescue teams used boats to reach the worst-hit areas, transmitting real-time footage to the command center.

Twelve rescue teams have been going door-to-door in flooded villages evacuating residents, including an elderly patient on a ventilator. Drinking water and food are being delivered alongside evacuations.

China Anneng, an engineering and emergency rescue group, and Blue Sky Rescue teams, have joined the operation.

In Hanjiang District, some elderly residents are still stranded in makeshift homes without water or power after flooding from tributaries of the Mulan River. Deep standing water and slow drainage are posing challenges, the Xiamen-based Anneng team said.

Large equipment can't be deployed yet due to water conditions – rescuers working by boat and on foot, using headlamps and waterproof torches through the night.

Once the Mulan River subsides, crews will begin large-scale drainage and assess damaged buildings.

Emergency calls are coming from areas along the Mulan River basin, including a subdistrict in Licheng, making the operation unlike previous single-site emergencies. Responding in scattered locations requires coordination between local governments and rescue groups, the Xiamen Shuguang Rescue Team said.