YILIANG, Yunnan - A heavy downpour started to strike Southwest China's quake-hit county of Yiliang early Tuesday morning, triggering floods and forcing thousands to evacuate.

Local fire department has dispatched 22 rescue teams to help evacuate people to safe places after receiving calls for help before dawn.

Rainfalls in the mountain region in Yunnan province reached 152 millimeters on average within seven hours, causing floods to hit a dozen of temporary settlements where thousands of quake victims live, said a spokesman with the provincial fire department.

A bridge in front of the county's hospital was submerged by river flooding on Tuesday morning.

Landslide and mud-rock flows triggered by the rain were also reported in Yiliang, where multiple quakes have claimed 81 lives since Friday.