Three people had been confirmed dead, and four others remained missing as of 8 pm on Monday after torrential rain swept through Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture in Hubei province from Sunday to Monday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to Xinhua, torrential rainfall hit the upper reaches of the Baishui River, part of Xuan'en county, with precipitation reaching 292.6 millimeters.

The rainstorm caused river water levels to surge rapidly, inundating multiple homes along the Baishui River. Some houses collapsed, while roads and communication services were disrupted, according to Xinhua.

After the flooding struck, local authorities activated emergency response measures and organized armed police, public security, emergency management, fire rescue, transportation, power supply, and telecommunications departments to carry out rescue operations.

A total of 287 residents were evacuated to safety, Xinhua reported.

Since Saturday, Hubei province has experienced its strongest round of rainfall since the start of this year's flood season. Large areas in western Hubei and the Jianghan Plain have been battered by heavy to torrential rain, with some regions hit by exceptionally intense downpours, the local authorities said.

On Monday morning, local meteorological authorities continued to issue an orange alert for rainstorms, while the provincial meteorological service maintained a Level-III emergency response for severe convective weather and heavy rainfall.

Hubei cities, including Yichang, Jingzhou, Jingmen, and Enshi, have reported urban flooding and residents trapped by rising waters. Rescuers across various regions in the province sprang into action in response to the flooding, racing against time to safeguard local residents.

Torrential rains also battered Shimen county in Hunan province from 7 am Sunday, leaving one person dead and two others missing as of Monday evening, according to another report from Xinhua.

Authorities in Shimen have launched evacuations, rescue operations, and infrastructure repairs, and 18,406 residents have been relocated, the report added.