State media in China reported Sunday that heavy rainfall has resulted in five deaths in the country’s north, while a tropical storm caused significant destruction across southern China and neighboring Vietnam.
According to the official Xinhua News Agency, two villagers lost their lives Saturday evening when a flash flood struck a mountainous area in the eastern portion of China’s Inner Mongolia region. One person drowned while tending to cattle, and another fell into floodwaters while attempting to move a herd to safety.
That same day, three additional fatalities were recorded roughly 390 kilometers — about 240 miles — to the southeast in Fushun, a city in Liaoning province. Xinhua did not release details on the circumstances of those deaths.
Fushun was hammered by a powerful rainstorm for several hours early Saturday, with rainfall reaching as much as 32.9 centimeters — approximately 13 inches — in at least one location. Video circulating online showed city streets completely submerged. Authorities relocated around 3,600 residents to safer ground.
Meanwhile, in China’s south, Tropical Storm Maysak crossed into the Guangxi region on Sunday after coming ashore the night before in Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province, packing winds of 101 kilometers — or 63 miles — per hour. As the storm pushed inland, it weakened from severe tropical storm status down to a standard tropical storm.
Footage aired on China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed rivers overflowing their banks in Guangxi’s Fangchenggang city, with cars submerged up to their rooftops. Emergency crews deployed inflatable boats to reach people who were stranded. A China News Service report noted that local residents described the flooding as the worst they had seen in roughly 20 years.
In Vietnam, the storm caused considerable damage Saturday evening in the town of Mong Cai, knocking down trees and tearing metal roofing off buildings, according to Vietnamese state media. After the winds died down, crews brought in chainsaws and heavy equipment to clear debris and restore access to roads.
Maysak also uprooted trees in Dongxing, a Chinese city that sits along the Vietnamese border. The storm had previously dumped heavy rain on China’s Hainan island before crossing open water and making landfall again in Vietnam.
