HEAVY rain hit Chengdu, capital city of Southwest China’s Sichuan Province on Monday, causing the cancellation of 161 flights and the marooning of more than 10,000 air passengers, according to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, reported ecns.cn yesterday.

The number of flights canceled a single day yesterday by the airport hit a record high for recent years, said the airport.

The rain started at 10:30 a.m. Monday and lasted 11 hours. The rainfall at the airport reached 145.4 millimeters, the most in 14 years.

As of 7 a.m. yesterday morning, 21 backup flights arrived at the airport to pick up passengers. The total number of flights at the airport leapt to 983 yesterday.

Sichuan has been battered by heavy rain this summer. Meteorological authorities have warned the public to guard against potential disaster as the rain continues. 

(SD News)