Southern China is grappling with the aftermath of severe storms, with eleven individuals reported missing and tens of thousands evacuated to safety amid relentless downpours.
The southern province of Guangdong has borne the brunt of heavy rainfall in recent days, causing rivers to swell and raising concerns of unprecedented flooding, described by state media as occurring roughly once in a century.
According to the local emergency management department cited by state news agency Xinhua, eleven people are unaccounted for following the incessant heavy rains across various parts of Guangdong. More than 53,000 individuals have been relocated within the province, with over 45,000 evacuated from Qingyuan, a city in northern Guangdong situated along the banks of the Bei River, a tributary of the broader Pearl River Delta.
Forecasters anticipate continued heavy rain on Monday, with thunderstorms and strong winds forecasted in Guangdong’s coastal waters, affecting cities like Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Neighboring provinces such as Fujian, Guizhou, and Guangxi are also expected to experience short-term heavy rainfall, according to the National Meteorological Centre.
Guangdong, China’s densely populated manufacturing hub, with approximately 127 million inhabitants, is particularly vulnerable to such weather events. In Jiangwan town, heavy rain triggered landslides on Sunday, injuring six individuals and trapping others. Images from state broadcaster CCTV depicted homes along the waterfront demolished by mudslides, with people seeking refuge in drenched public sports facilities.
CCTV reported that some Pearl River tributaries could see floods exceeding 5.8 meters (19 feet) above the warning level on Monday morning.
China has been increasingly affected by extreme weather events in recent years, including severe floods, prolonged droughts, and record-breaking heatwaves. Human-induced climate change, fueled by greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbates the frequency and severity of such events, with China being the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
