Heavy rain sparked dramatic rescues in Xuchang, central China's Henan Province on Wednesday.

A woman swept away by a sudden mountain flood, survived by clinging to a tree. Rescuers pushed through raging water with safety ropes and pulled her to shore. Elsewhere in Xuchang, firefighters carried a 96-year-old woman on their backs after floodwater poured into her home.

Henan has activated a Level II flood emergency response and remains under a red alert for rainstorms. Some areas recorded more than 350 millimeters of rain in 24 hours.