At Least 9 Dead and 17 Missing Due to Heavy Rain and Landslides in Central and Southern Regions

At least 9 people have died and 17 are missing due to heavy rains that struck southern China.

According to China Central Television (CCTV) on the 18th, heavy rains poured down in Meizhou City, Guangdong Province in southern China, where 5 bodies have been found so far, 13 people are trapped, and 15 are missing. Currently, water levels at 19 river monitoring stations in Guangdong Province exceed warning levels.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

China's flood and drought response authorities have activated a level 4 emergency flood response and dispatched task forces to provide support and information in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and southeastern Fujian Province, where heavy rains have continued since the 13th. The economic losses in Guangxi Autonomous Region reached 1.41 billion yuan (approximately 267.8 billion KRW) as of the 15th.

On this day, the authorities formed an emergency response team of more than 9,000 people and began rescuing residents and delivering relief supplies. The response headquarters dispatched 3 helicopters and 18 local expert teams to the disaster areas to manage the situation.

On the previous evening, a landslide occurred in Wuping County, Longyan City, southwestern Fujian Province, resulting in 4 deaths and 2 missing persons. Approximately 47,800 local residents were affected by the heavy rains, and 378 houses collapsed. Roads in Wuping County totaling 7.3 km and 880 hectares of crops were damaged, with estimated economic losses of 415 million yuan.

As the storm moved northward and westward, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Hunan Province, which border Vietnam, issued an orange alert, the second-highest warning level, on the previous evening.

Meanwhile, southern China has suffered significant damage from record-breaking heavy rains since April. The water level of the Beijiang River, a tributary of the Zhujiang River, surpassed the highest level in 50 years, and several regions set new records for cumulative rainfall this month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.