The water level of the Xiangjiang River, a major tributary of the Yangtze, exceeded its record flood level on Sunday morning after torrential rain lashed central China's Hunan Province for days.

The water level in the section of the river in Changsha, capital of the province, reached 39.21 meters at 6:30 a.m. local time, breaking the previous record of 39.18 meters set by a massive flood in 1998.

Sand bags are piled up along the Xiangjiang River in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, on July 2, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

Already at 3.2 meters above the warning level, the water level is expected to continue to rise as heavy rain is forecast for upstream regions over the next few days.

Meanwhile, the water levels in Dongting Lake and several other major rivers in Hunan have all risen above warning levels, worsening the flood control situation.

The Juzizhou Islet is flooded in the Xiangjiang River in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, on July 2, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

Rain started to batter Hunan on June 22 and the ensuing flooding has forced 311,300 people to evacuate, damaged 295,160 hectares of crops and destroyed 6,369 houses, according to the provincial meteorological service. 

Rainstorms pummelled 832 towns in southern and eastern Hunan from Saturday morning to Sunday morning, with Huangtang in Ningyuan County receiving the most precipitation – 264.2 mm within 24 hours.

In neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, flooding disrupted railway services with 45 trains canceled, forced to return to origin or detoured.

(Source: Xinhua)