BEIJING: State media reported on Monday that eleven people are missing following storms that have lashed southern China, with tens of thousands evacuated due to torrential downpours.
Recent heavy rain has engulfed the vast southern province of Guangdong, causing rivers to swell and raising concerns of severe flooding described as a once-in-a-century event by state media.
According to the local emergency management department cited by Xinhua news agency, a total of 11 individuals are missing after continuous heavy rainfall in various parts of Guangdong in recent days. More than 53,000 people have been relocated across the province, with over 45,000 evacuated from the northern city of Qingyuan, straddling the banks of the Bei River, a tributary in the wider Pearl River Delta, as reported on Sunday.
The heavy rainfall is expected to persist on Monday, with meteorological authorities forecasting “thunderstorms and strong winds in Guangdong’s coastal waters” – affecting major cities including Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Neighboring provinces such as Fujian, Guizhou, and Guangxi will also experience “short-term heavy rainfall,” noted the National Meteorological Centre, with the main impact period of strong convection lasting from daytime until night.
Guangdong province, China’s densely populated manufacturing heartland, is home to around 127 million people. In Jiangwan town, heavy rain on Sunday caused landslides that injured six people and trapped several others, as reported by state media.
CCTV images showed people fleeing to a drenched public sports court and coastal homes devastated by mudslides.
CCTV also warned that floods reaching as high as 5.8 meters (19 feet) above the warning limit would strike in Pearl River tributaries on Monday morning.
China, experiencing extreme weather fluctuations, has been grappling with severe floods, droughts, and heatwaves in recent years. Human-induced climate change intensifies such extreme weather events, with China being the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
