China record floods wet feet of Leshan Giant Buddha

A giant statue of Buddha in China has had its toes dampened by floodwater for the first time since the 1940s.

The 71m-tall statue, a Unesco heritage site, was carved out of a rockface near Chengdu in Sichuan province around the eighth century AD.

It is normally high above the waterline, but the area has been hit by the worst flooding in 70 years.

More than 100,000 people have had to be moved to safety.

The statue is a hugely popular attraction and often included in cruises along the nearby Yangtze river and Three Gorges.

State media said 180 tourists had be rescued from the site as waters rose.

Tourist boats next to the Leshan Buddha in February — Image captionThe statue normally sits high above the waterline, as seen here in February

Tourists burn offerings at the feet of the Giant Buddha in 2016 — Image captionTourists and pilgrims arrive by boat to burn offerings at the Buddha’s feet

The feet of the Giant Buddha — Image captionThe last time the toes – each bigger than a person – got wet was 1949

Waters reach the platform of the statue (12 Aug) — Image captionBut last week waters reached the base of the statue and kept rising

According to the Xinhua state news agency, a traditional local saying holds that if the Buddha’s feet get wet, Chengdu – which has a population of 16 million people – will flood too.

Sichuan province has activated its highest level emergency response after weeks of heavy rain caused record high water levels, with no sign of it ending soon.