Sichuan province raised its flood-control response to Level I on Tuesday morning, the highest of its four-tier emergency response system. This is the first time the province has triggered a Level I response for floods.

As of around 10 am Tuesday, floodwater surged past the toes of the Leshan Giant Buddha, a well-known scenic spot in Leshan city of the southwestern province.

According to the management committee of the attraction, it is the first time since 1949 that the 71-meter-high statue, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been submerged to the toes.

More than 130 people, including policemen and staff at the attraction, carried sandbags to the feet of the Giant Buddha against the rain and managed to build an embankment to help protect the statue on Monday night as a new round of rainstorms hit the city.