Devastating floods swept through multiple provinces in southern and central China on Tuesday, claiming at least 10 lives as intense rainfall caused widespread disruption to daily life, according to authorities.
Weather officials warned that provinces including Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan were experiencing elevated risks for weather-related catastrophes, such as mudslides, sudden flooding, and severe urban water accumulation.
Emergency response protocols have been activated across multiple impacted regions, officials confirmed.
Residents in Jingzhou, located in central Hubei province, found themselves wading through knee-high floodwaters where fish could be seen swimming through city streets, based on footage shared on the Chinese social media platform Douyin. Vehicles became almost entirely submerged on roadways flanked by homes and businesses.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that six fatalities occurred when a pickup truck transporting 15 people plunged into a flood-swollen river in the southwestern Guangxi region during the heavy downpour on Tuesday.
Additional casualties included three deaths from flash flooding in a low-elevation Hubei village, while one more person perished in southern Hunan province, CCTV stated.
Educational institutions, commercial establishments and transportation networks have been shut down, with officials evacuating residents from certain areas of Hubei and Hunan provinces, state media outlets reported.
The exceptionally broad zone of intense precipitation – covering more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) – resulted from moisture streams converging from the Bay of Bengal, South China Sea and Pacific Ocean. Chinese weather experts noted that the weather pattern’s slow movement contributed to the substantial rainfall accumulation.
The National Meteorological Centre indicated that harsh weather conditions would progressively shift eastward and southward over the coming 48 hours. Beginning Wednesday, the most severe rainfall is anticipated along the middle and lower sections of the Yangtze River.
Hainan island in southern China issued geological hazard alerts on Tuesday following a mountainside collapse that blocked a highway in Lingshui, leading authorities to shut down multiple main roads in that section of the island.
Meanwhile, Guangxi officials established temporary housing at 99 locations for over 4,000 residents and moved 7,000 people following a 5.2 magnitude earthquake on Monday that caused tremors throughout several cities in the area.
