Southern China braces for more rain, Chongqing landslide search continues

BEIJING, July 19 - China's meteorological authority on Sunday issued a heavy rain alert for parts of southern China, following a warning a day earlier of mountain flood risks in areas like Chongqing and Yunnan and potential emergency evacuations in vulnerable places.• Cutting south China diagonally, the sprawling rain belt stretches from the southwestern province of Yunnan to the Yangtze River Delta in China's eastern coast.• Rail authorities suspended some passenger trains on the Shanghai–Kunming railway on Sunday due to heavy rain, state broadcaster CCTV reported.• In Yunnan, several scenic spots including the Tiger Leaping Gorge were temporarily closed following heavy rain over the weekend.• Parts of southwestern Guangxi region, still recovering from the impact of Typhoon Maysak earlier this month, was bracing for a new round of rain through Tuesday.• Hydrological authorities in Guangxi's Baise said some rivers rose by one to three metres (three to nine feet) over the past 24 hours, CCTV reported Sunday.• A rain-triggered landslide in a county in southwest China's Chongqing on Friday has killed eight people, while rescuers are still racing to find 34 people that remain missing. REUTERS