Watch: how China used drones to rescue couple trapped in gushing floods

Rescuers have been carrying out evacuations as floods triggered by torrential rains continued to affect many places in central and southern China.

In Nanchong City in southwest Sichuan province, local authorities initiated a level II flood-control emergency response, the second-highest of its four-tier flood-control emergency response system, the state broadcaster CCTV reported.

As of 8:30 a.m. (00:30 a.m GMT) on Tuesday, a total of 4,255 local residents in the 19 townships hit by rains have been transferred to safe areas, according to the local authorities.

Heavy rains have also battered cities in the central province of Henan, trapping residents and vehicles in floods, damaging infrastructure and submerging crops in rural areas, CCTV said.

A video released by CCTV showed a couple trapped inside a car on a flooded riverbed, with the rushing water putting them in imminent danger of drowning.

The rescue team used drones to deliver life vests and ropes to the trapped couple who were about 60 metres (yards) away from the river bank.

They were finally transferred from the top of the car to a safe area by crane.

In Longyan City in the southern province of Fujian, rescuers also used drones to deliver life jackets and a secure rope to a man trapped in the middle of a flooded river, CCTV reported.

On Tuesday morning, the southwestern city of Chongqing was hit hard by heavy rainfall, causing floods and landslides that cut off highways and destroyed other public facilities, CCTV said.

So far there has been no official report on casualties and statistics of losses from the recent floods.

Also watch: Floods in China: Worst in 50 years in Zhenba; over 10,000 evacuated in Hunan