Deadly storms and flooding in China kill 15, force mass evacuations

Storms, flooding and a landslide across China pushed the death toll to at least 17 and forced mass evacuations as several provinces were hit at once. Hubei province, Guangxi and Gansu all faced different hazards, from tornadoes and gale-force winds to overflowing rivers and a fatal mudslide.

In Hubei, severe thunderstorms and strong winds killed 11 people, injured 331 and left one person missing, according to Xinhua News Agency. The weather affected 14,600 people and forced 246 residents to relocate. A rare EF2 tornado was reported in Huanggang, underscoring how violent the convective system had become as it swept through central China.

The damage in Hubei also revealed how fast infrastructure and homes could fail under extreme rain and wind. State media said 4,800 houses were damaged and 22 collapsed. Video from CCTV showed muddy water surging past a collapsed reservoir dam wall, a stark image of flood defenses giving way as rainfall intensified.

Farther south, Guangxi was battered by heavy rain and flooding linked to Typhoon Maysak. Initial reports said at least four people died there, with at least 50,000 residents evacuated and eight missing. Later updates put the number evacuated at about 130,000, with 11 still missing, as fast-flowing water burst the banks of 40 rivers and waterways and nearly 13,000 acres of agricultural land were damaged.

Authorities in Nanning, Guangxi’s capital, raised flood control emergency measures to the highest level on July 6 after torrential rain breached dams. Chinese authorities also sent extra relief supplies including food, raincoats and rubber boats as rescuers worked through flooded neighborhoods and damaged farmland. President Xi Jinping ordered rescuers to go all out, treat the injured and resettle affected residents.

The crisis did not end there. In Gansu province, a landslide buried 33 people before some survivors were pulled out, and later reports said the death toll there had also risen. Across the country, the succession of tornadoes, flash floods, dam failures and landslides showed how multiple kinds of severe weather were hitting Chinese cities and provinces at the same time, leaving residents to face destruction with little warning. One Guangxi resident captured that strain simply: “When faced with these natural disasters, we really feel powerless.”