Over 80,000 people flee severe flooding in southwest China
SHANGHAI: Flooding in China's southwest has driven more than 80,000 people from their homes, state media said on Wednesday (Jun 25), as a collapsed bridge forced the dramatic rescue of a truck driver left dangling over the edge.
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 3m of water", the news agency said.
Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed severe flooding had 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.
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CNA
13 hours ago
- CNA
Over 80,000 people flee severe flooding in southwest China
SHANGHAI: Flooding in China's southwest has driven more than 80,000 people from their homes, state media said on Wednesday (Jun 25), as a collapsed bridge forced the dramatic rescue of a truck driver left dangling over the edge. 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 3m of water", the news agency said. Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed severe flooding had 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.
AsiaOne
14 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Lorry left dangling over collapsed bridge in China with driver trapped inside, China News
A lorry, with its driver trapped inside, was left hanging off a collapsed highway bridge in China's Guizhou province. Days of relentless rainfall had triggered a landslide beneath the Xiamen-Chengdu Expressway, causing it to give way at around 7.40am on Tuesday (June 24), reported Guizhou Daily. Videos of the incident posted to Chinese social media show the lorry with its cabin suspended over the drop. In a video interview posted to X by Shanghai Eye, You Guochun — the lorry driver — stated that once the front of the truck reached the point of the bridge that eventually collapsed, he felt the ground "sink down a little" and stepped on the brakes at once. "But there was a bit of inertia and the truck kept going a bit. The bridge in front of me all collapsed... I was scared and simply froze," he said. In a video circulating on social media, a witness at the scene can be heard saying to You, "You're lucky, this is dangerous", and asking him to wait for help to arrive. You responded that he had tried to contact the fire department but could not get through. The onlooker then explained that there was no mobile connectivity in the area. According to You, the fire department eventually arrived and threw a ladder over for him to climb up to the top of the lorry, guiding him through the process. Local transportation authorities found a deformation in the bridge structure during a patrol inspection at 5.51am on Tuesday and immediately implemented traffic control for the uphill lanes, which was enforced by 7.11am, reported the Global Times. The authorities also stated that there were three vehicles at the bottom of the bridge and confirmed there were no people inside them. An investigation into the cause of the collapse and follow-up work is currently underway, reported China Daily. Extreme weather in multiple areas State meteorologists have forecast more rain in the coming days, warning that flood-hit provinces like Guizhou remain at risk from overlapping storms. Despite summer floods being common in China, climate change is amplifying the risk — with heavier rainfall events becoming more frequent, they added. The possibility of "black swan" disasters, rare but catastrophic events like dam failures or sudden infrastructure collapses, become more likely under extreme weather conditions, said the Chinese authorities. While Southern China was hit by heavy rain and floods on Tuesday, Northern provinces such as Henan, Shandong and Hebei recorded temperatures nearing 40°C. [[nid:719450]]
Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Straits Times
Over 80,000 people evacuated after flooding in southwest China
Over 80,000 people evacuated after flooding in southwest China BEIJING - Severe flooding in China's south-western province of Guizhou has forced more than 80,000 people to flee their homes, Beijing's state media said on June 25 . China is enduring a summer of extreme weather, with heat waves scorching wide swaths of the country while rainstorms pummel other regions. Rescue teams have been sent to two Guizhou counties, where the flood control emergency response has been raised to its highest level, state news agency Xinhua reported. A football field in Rongjiang county was 'submerged under 3m of water', the news agency said. Resident Long Tian told Xinhua: 'The water rose very quickly'. 'I stayed on the third floor waiting for rescue. By the afternoon, I had been transferred to safety,' Mr Long said. Around 80,900 people had been evacuated their homes by the afternoon of June 24 , Xinhua said. Footage published by state broadcaster CCTV on June 24 showed a collapsed bridge near Kaili city in Guizhou province. Rescuers pushed boats carrying residents through murky, knee-high water and children waited in a kindergarten as emergency personnel approached them. A rescue team was shown in the CCTV video preparing a drone to deliver supplies including rice to flood victims. Extreme weather Floods have also hit neighbouring Guangxi province, 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. 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 strengthen monitoring and 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 years 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. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
