Over 80,000 people flee severe flooding in southwest China
China is enduring a summer of extreme weather, with heat waves scorching wide swaths of the country while rainstorms pummel other regions.
Around 80,900 people had been evacuated by Tuesday afternoon in the southwestern province of Guizhou, state news agency Xinhua reported.
In Rongjiang county a football field was "submerged under three meters of water", the news agency said.
Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed severe flooding has inundated villages and collapsed a bridge in one mountainous area of the province.
Rescuers pushed boats carrying residents through murky, knee-high water and children waited in a kindergarten as emergency personnel approached them, the footage showed.
"The water rose very quickly," resident Long Tian told Xinhua.
"I stayed on the third floor waiting for rescue. By the afternoon, I had been transferred to safety."
A team was also seen preparing a drone to deliver supplies including rice to flood victims.
And in a video circulated by local media, truck driver You Guochun recounted his harrowing rescue after he ended up perched over the edge of a broken bridge segment.
"A bridge collapsed entirely in front of me," he said.
"I was terrified."
Extreme weather
Floods have also hit the neighbouring Guangxi region, with state media publishing videos of rescuers there carrying residents to safety.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated last week in the central Chinese province of Hunan due to heavy rain.
And nearly 70,000 people in southern China were relocated days earlier after heavy flooding caused by Typhoon Wutip.
Chinese authorities issued the year's first red alerts last week for mountain torrents in six regions -- the most severe warning level in the country's four-tier system.
Some areas in the affected regions were "extremely likely to be hit", Xinhua reported, with local governments urged to issue timely warnings to residents.
Climate change -- which scientists say is exacerbated by greenhouse gas emissions -- is making such extreme weather phenomena more frequent and more intense.
Authorities in Beijing this week issued the second-highest heat warning for the capital on one of its hottest days of the year so far.
Last year was China's hottest on record and the past four were its warmest ever.
China is the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter but is also a renewable energy powerhouse, seeking to cut carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2060.
© 2025 AFP
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France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Over 80,000 people flee severe flooding in southwest China
China is enduring a summer of extreme weather, with heat waves scorching wide swaths of the country while rainstorms pummel other regions. Around 80,900 people had been evacuated by Tuesday afternoon in the southwestern province of Guizhou, state news agency Xinhua reported. In Rongjiang county a football field was "submerged under three meters of water", the news agency said. Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed severe flooding has inundated villages and collapsed a bridge in one mountainous area of the province. Rescuers pushed boats carrying residents through murky, knee-high water and children waited in a kindergarten as emergency personnel approached them, the footage showed. "The water rose very quickly," resident Long Tian told Xinhua. "I stayed on the third floor waiting for rescue. By the afternoon, I had been transferred to safety." A team was also seen preparing a drone to deliver supplies including rice to flood victims. And in a video circulated by local media, truck driver You Guochun recounted his harrowing rescue after he ended up perched over the edge of a broken bridge segment. "A bridge collapsed entirely in front of me," he said. "I was terrified." Extreme weather Floods have also hit the neighbouring Guangxi region, with state media publishing videos of rescuers there carrying residents to safety. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated last week in the central Chinese province of Hunan due to heavy rain. And nearly 70,000 people in southern China were relocated days earlier after heavy flooding caused by Typhoon Wutip. Chinese authorities issued the year's first red alerts last week for mountain torrents in six regions -- the most severe warning level in the country's four-tier system. Some areas in the affected regions were "extremely likely to be hit", Xinhua reported, with local governments urged to issue timely warnings to residents. Climate change -- which scientists say is exacerbated by greenhouse gas emissions -- is making such extreme weather phenomena more frequent and more intense. Authorities in Beijing this week issued the second-highest heat warning for the capital on one of its hottest days of the year so far. Last year was China's hottest on record and the past four were its warmest ever. China is the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter but is also a renewable energy powerhouse, seeking to cut carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2060. © 2025 AFP
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Nearly half the US population face scorching heat wave
As a fierce sun reflected off the skyscrapers of New York, the normally frenetic Times Square was virtually deserted by mid-day as the mercury reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 Celsius), the hottest since 2012 in the Big Apple. By mid-afternoon Newark, New Jersey hit 103F (39.4C), according to the National Weather Service, and Philadelphia also reached 100F (38C). New Yorkers walked under umbrellas as they navigated the streets of Manhattan, while others sunbathed in swimsuits in parks. "It's been kind of a cold spring. Then all of a sudden, boom, here it is," Eleanor Burke, 82, told AFP of the heat, recalling how she took a dog for a walk the night before and "he almost looked like he was dead." Soaring temperatures are straining the city's power grid as people crank up their air conditioning. In the Bronx, a New York borough, a blackout left more than 34,000 homes without power, prompting energy supplier Con Edison to urge residents to moderate their electricity consumption. The NWS warned of East Coast temperatures of 97F-103F (36C-39.4C) on Tuesday, and a heat index -- what the temperature feels like with humidity factored in -- spiking as high as 110F (43.3C) for the New York metropolitan area. "Extremely dangerous heat persists across the Midwest and East Coast... affecting nearly half of the US population at 161 million people," the NWS warned in an advisory, which also urged people to limit their physical activity due to poor air quality. "I don't mind heat... but this of course is way too much," said Maureen Brandon, 50, who said she walks in the shade and gets things done in the morning or evening outside of peak heat hours. In the US capital, temperatures also flirted with triple digits. The Washington Monument, the famed obelisk honoring America's first president, was closed Tuesday and Wednesday due to "extreme heat in the DC area," the National Park Service said. Passenger train company Amtrak announced speed restrictions on its East Coast tracks, which could cause delays. Meteorologists have described the intensifying weather pattern as a heat dome, a high-pressure system that traps air underneath and leads to steadily rising thermal readings. Extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the United States, leading to more fatalities than natural disasters like hurricanes or tornadoes. Scientists say extreme heat waves are a clear sign of global warming, and they are expected to become more frequent, longer, and more intense. Fueled by human-caused climate change, 2024 was the warmest year on record globally -- and 2025 is projected to rank among the top three.
France 24
4 days ago
- France 24
Beijing issues weather warning for hottest days of year
China has endured a string of extreme summers in recent years, with heatwaves baking northern regions even as parts of the south have seen catastrophic rain and flooding. Authorities in the city of 22 million people urged the public to take precautions, with temperatures expected to peak at around 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday. "It's been really hot lately, especially in the past few days," intern Li Weijun told AFP on Monday afternoon. The 22-year-old said he had stopped wearing formal clothes to work and delayed his daily exercise until after 10:00 pm to stay safe. "I think it's related to climate change, and maybe also to the damage done to nature," he said. An orange heat warning -- the second-highest in a three-tier system -- was issued on Monday as officials encouraged people to limit outdoor activity and drink more fluids to avoid heatstroke. Construction workers should "shorten the amount of time consecutively spent at labour", while elderly, sick or weakened individuals ought to "avoid excessive exertion", according to the guidelines. Zhang Chen, 28, said she carried an umbrella outdoors to prevent sunburn. "I used to ride a bike, but once it gets this hot, I basically stop doing that," the IT worker told AFP. Despite the beating sun, legions of delivery drivers zipped through downtown areas at noon to bring sustenance to Beijing's office workers. A few lazed on the backs of their scooters in a shady spot, while elsewhere, people cooled off with ice creams or by taking a dip in the city's canals. Climate giant Beijing is still a few degrees short of breaking its record for the hottest-ever June day, set at 41.1C in 2023. Human greenhouse gas emissions are driving climate change that causes longer, more frequent and more intense heatwaves. China is the world's largest producer of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, though it has pledged to bring its emissions to a peak by the end of this decade and to net zero by 2060. The country has also emerged as a global leader in renewable energy in recent years as it seeks to pivot its massive economy away from highly polluting coal consumption. In a shady spot near an office building, 42-year-old Lucy Lu spent her lunch break with friends, kicking a shuttlecock through the air -- a traditional Chinese game known as "jianzi". "I was born and raised in Beijing, and summer here has always been like this," she said. "But I do think when the temperature goes over 40C, there should be some time off or work-from-home options to reduce the risk of heatstroke." © 2025 AFP
