BEIJING: Severe flooding triggered by record-breaking rainfall across central and southern China has killed at least 22 people since the weekend, with 20 others still missing, according to state media reports on Wednesday.
The widespread extreme weather has affected multiple provinces, including Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou and Hubei, where heavy downpours have caused rivers to overflow, infrastructure damage and large-scale evacuations.
In the central province of Hunan, five people were confirmed dead and 11 remain missing after torrential rains triggered flooding and landslides in several rural areas, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Authorities said more than 61,500 residents in a single county were impacted by the extreme rainfall, which has disrupted transport, damaged homes and forced temporary suspension of schools and workplaces in affected regions.
In southern Guangxi province, 10 people were killed after a truck plunged into a swollen river while attempting to cross during severe flooding on Saturday evening. Rescue operations continued for several days, with the first fatality reported shortly after the incident.
In neighbouring Guizhou province, four people have died and five remain missing following sustained heavy rainfall that caused widespread flooding and structural damage, according to official reports.
Further north in Hubei province, three people were killed and four others are missing after torrential rains collapsed buildings and cut off communication with several villages.
Chinese authorities have deployed emergency response measures and allocated 120 million yuan (approximately $17.6 million) in disaster relief funds to five affected regions, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.
An additional 30 million yuan has been designated for Guizhou province, where officials reported significant casualties and property losses.
Nearly 24,000 people have been evacuated across the affected provinces as rainfall continues to disrupt daily life and threaten further flooding, according to aggregated official figures.
Meteorological agencies have warned that more heavy rain is expected in the coming days, raising concerns about additional flooding and landslides in already saturated regions.
Scientists have noted that the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events is linked to global warming driven by greenhouse gas emissions. China, the world’s largest emitter, has also positioned itself as a major renewable energy producer with a stated goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.