Dozens killed in southern China as devastating rains take toll
- Thousands homeless after heavy rainfall pounds the Yellow Mountains in Anhui province in a single day
.jpg?itok=H5_PTCSf&v=1700020945)
Heavy rain has taken a deadly toll on parts of southern China, with dozens of people killed in one county alone.
In Pingyuan county in Meizhou, Guangdong province, authorities said the death toll from the downpours and floods had risen to 38 as of Friday afternoon, with two missing, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Further east in the historic city of Huangshan, a bridge was destroyed, several main roads were closed and cars were seen floating down the streets.
More than 10,000 people were evacuated from their homes on Thursday as rain pounded the city, named for its spectacular Yellow Mountains, in Anhui province’s south.
On Thursday afternoon, the Huangshan weather bureau issued a rainstorm red alert – the most severe warning in China’s four-tier system – with forecasts that multiple towns in the area could expect more than 16cm (just over 6 inches) of rain per hour.
Earlier in the day, Huangshan’s flood and drought prevention headquarters raised the emergency alert response to level 2, instructing government bureaus to keep a close watch on the weather, as well as for signs of landslides and floods.
By the time night fell, 179,000 people had been affected by the floods, according to Anhui Daily. A total of 27 houses had collapsed and another 592 were damaged, causing a direct economic loss of 500 million yuan (US$68.8 million), it said.
Rescue teams in fire trucks and rubber boats reached more than 2,400 villagers trapped in the flood and evacuated 10,976 people. Nine provincial roads and 41 village roads were closed, halting 170 bus services. Ferry operations were also suspended.
According to the newspaper report, repairs have already begun on roads and electricity lines. Patrols have also been increased around schools and hospitals, rivers, reservoirs and other sites that could be risk of geological disasters.
In Chakou, home of Taiping Lake in Huangshan’s easternmost She county, a bridge in Hengguan village was destroyed by the rising river, an official told Jimu News. Staff were stationed around the area to close affected roads and evacuate residents.
One resident said she saw flooded roads and rice fields when she drove into the village on Thursday. Afraid of being trapped, she abandoned her car and waded home through knee-deep water, only to find some of her sewing machines under water.
Huangshan sprawls across 1,200 sq km (463 square miles) over the Yellow Mountains’ 70 peaks and features hundreds of well-preserved ancient villages, with countless relics, traditional Hui-style architecture and wooden ancestral halls dating to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644AD).
The Anhui weather bureau said the rains were expected to continue for another 10 days and suggested that farmers wait for breaks in the weather to plant corn, rice and soybean crops to ensure they take root. Measures should also be taken to prevent fields from flooding, it said.
Rainstorms have been moving west and north in the past few days, after devastating southern China. Hundreds have been left homeless by the resulting floods in Guangdong and Fujian provinces.
Meanwhile, extreme drought warnings have been issued for northern and central parts of the country, with local governments demanding that water is preserved as a priority for homes and livestock.
Several provinces along the Yangtze River are on alert for more heavy rainfall and floods.
The National Meteorological Centre said on Friday that some provinces including Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu could expect up to 70 per cent more rain than average for this time of year.
