The death toll from powerful storms and flooding across parts of China has risen to 17, with hundreds injured and tens of thousands forced to evacuate as President Xi Jinping called for urgent rescue operations.
More than 130,000 people have been relocated, while 11 others remain missing, regional officials said at a news briefing. The heavy rains have also damaged nearly 13,000 acres of agricultural land.
State broadcaster CCTV showed dramatic footage of muddy floodwaters surging through damaged concrete barriers after a reservoir dam burst in the southern Guangxi region, which has been among the worst-affected areas.
Emergency teams wearing life jackets searched for missing residents using inflatable boats, while authorities established temporary shelters for displaced families.
Flooding worsens in Guangxi
Severe rainfall and flooding linked to Typhoon Maysak killed six people in Guangxi, where authorities raised the flood emergency response level to its highest stage in the regional capital, Nanning.
State media reported that 40 rivers and waterways across Guangxi had overflowed due to continuous heavy rain.
Videos showing villagers standing in knee-deep floodwater attempting to catch snakes in a flooded town spread widely on social media, with related content receiving more than 180 million views.
Around 800 to 900 snakes escaped on Monday after a breeding farm was flooded, according to a village official quoted by state media.
Strong winds cause deaths in Hubei
Thunderstorms and powerful winds killed another 11 people and injured 331 in central China’s Hubei province, while tornadoes were also reported in several areas, state news agency Xinhua said.
One person remains missing in Hubei, where authorities reported damage to 4,800 homes and the collapse of 22 houses.
A local resident, identified by his surname Wang, told media that his brother-in-law, surnamed Zhang, was pulled from his home by extreme winds in Huanggang city. He was later found unconscious outside the apartment complex and barely breathing.
“Wall cabinets, sofas, coffee tables, dining tables and chairs vanished in an instant. It was as if the entire building had been hollowed out,” Wang told the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald.
President Xi Jinping urged rescue teams to “go all out” in emergency response efforts.
Natural disasters frequently affect China, especially during summer months when some regions face intense rainfall and flooding while others experience extreme heat.
Officials warned that parts of Guangxi’s coastal and eastern areas, along with southwestern Guangdong, would continue to receive heavy rainfall.
Water Resources Minister Li Guoying said flood levels at a monitoring station in Guangxi could rise more than six metres above warning levels.
“Due to the impact of persistent heavy rainfall and the prolonged passage of floodwaters at high levels, the safety of reservoirs and embankments in the affected areas faces a severe test,” Li said.
Landslide kills five in Gansu
Separately, a landslide in northwestern China’s Gansu province killed five people on Tuesday, while rescue workers continued searching for 12 others still missing.
Authorities initially reported 33 people missing after the landslide struck a village near Longnan city.
Rescue teams found 21 trapped individuals, but five died despite receiving emergency medical treatment, according to officials.
The government has allocated 30 million yuan ($4.4 million) for reconstruction efforts following the disaster.
Scientists have warned that the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events worldwide are expected to increase as global temperatures rise due to greenhouse gas emissions.
China remains the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter but is also a leading producer of renewable energy. The country has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
Earlier in May, heavy rainfall across central and southern China killed 22 people, with some regions experiencing record-breaking precipitation.
