- Dozens of crocodiles got loose in Maoming, China, after heavy rain flooded the city.
- Authorities are using sonar equipment to track down the predators, warning residents to stay inside.
Residents of Maoming, China, are dealing with an unexpected outcome of intense storms that flooded the region over the weekend: dozens of crocodiles on the loose.
The southern Chinese city received about four months' worth of rain in just two days on Saturday and Sunday, the Washington Post reported. And all that rain caused a lake to overflow, allowing 75 crocodiles — 69 adults and six juveniles — to escape their enclosures at a nearby commercial crocodile farm, NBC News reported.
Some areas of the city were submerged in more than 3 feet of water, and the reptiles have been spotted meandering through the flooded streets, according to the Post.
Now, authorities have launched a search to capture the escaped predators using underwater sonar detection equipment, CNN reported, citing The Beijing News.
Because of the depth of the murky water and the sheer number of crocodiles roaming the city, authorities are urging residents to stay home, according to CNN.
One emergency response official, who spoke to the Washington Post anonymously, told the outlet that although over a dozen crocodiles have already been captured, "there could still be over 50 out there" and officials "are not quite sure where they are."
The officer told the Post on Tuesday morning that no human casualties had yet been reported.
But as for the crocodiles, the local paramilitary has been ordered to kill any that pop up out of the water, the Post reported, citing Southern Metropolis Daily.