Severe downpours paralyzed traffic in several cities in North China on Tuesday, with meteorological authorities warning of more landslides as the rainstorms continue.

In Shanxi province, authorities carried out traffic control on several highways and all passenger stations in the province suspended operation.

In the provincial capital Taiyuan, the storm flooded more than 40 roads, with water reaching up to 1 meter. According to Taiyuan traffic authorities, all traffic police officers on leave have been called back to cope with the situation.

The city's public security bureau said it had dispatched 115 vehicles and 690 police officers on Tuesday and rescued 65 people. No casualties have been reported.

To ensure safety, some companies in Taiyuan allowed employees to be late for work. The downpour also delayed some flights in the province.

In Xingtai, Hebei province, 19 bus lines were suspended. In neighboring Handan, several residential communities were flooded and firefighters evacuated more than 300 people.

Continuous rain in Beijing caused the collapse of a slope at the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall. The site is near the Jingzang highway, and police had to temporarily close two of the three lines so that workers could repair it.

In Yichang, Hubei province, rainstorms led to electric and communications outages in some towns.

Ma Xuekuan, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, said the rainstorms have affected 14 provincial regions, including Beijing and Tianjin.

He also said the intensity of the downpours is high, with more than 30 centimeters of rain in some regions.

On Tuesday evening, the Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration said that there is a high possibility of landslides in areas of Beijing, Hebei, Shanxi, Hubei, Hunan and Yunnan provinces, and local governments there should monitor the precipitation and issue timely flood prevention warnings.

Zheng Jinran contributed to this story.

houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/20/2016 page5)