Northern China flash flood kills at least 8, state media reports
The banks of a river running through the grasslands of Inner Mongolia burst at around 10 pm on Saturday, the report said, washing away 13 campers on the outskirts of Bayannur city, a major agricultural hub. One person has been rescued.
China has suffered weeks of extreme weather since July, battered by heavier-than-usual downpours with the monsoon stalling over its north and south.
Weather experts link the shifting pattern to climate change, testing officials as flash floods displace thousands and threaten billions of dollars in economic losses.
Bayannur is an important national grain and oil production base, as well as a sheep breeding and processing center.
At the other end of the country, a three-and-a-half-month fishing suspension in the southern province of Hainan ended on Saturday, state media reported, after agricultural affairs officials ordered ships to shelter in port owing to persistent, heavy rain.
The deluge in Inner Mongolia follows a deadly downpour in Beijing - just under 1,000km away - late last month which killed at least 44 people and forced the evacuation of more than 70,000 residents.
The central government announced last week 430 million yuan ($59.9 million) in fresh funding for disaster relief, taking the total allocated since April to at least 5.8 billion yuan.
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CNA
18 hours ago
- CNA
Northern China flash flood kills at least 8, state media reports
BEIJING: At least eight people have died in a flash flood in northern China, state media reported on Sunday, with four others still missing, as the East Asian monsoon continues to unleash atmospheric chaos across the world's second-largest economy. The banks of a river running through the grasslands of Inner Mongolia burst at around 10 pm on Saturday, the report said, washing away 13 campers on the outskirts of Bayannur city, a major agricultural hub. One person has been rescued. China has suffered weeks of extreme weather since July, battered by heavier-than-usual downpours with the monsoon stalling over its north and south. Weather experts link the shifting pattern to climate change, testing officials as flash floods displace thousands and threaten billions of dollars in economic losses. Bayannur is an important national grain and oil production base, as well as a sheep breeding and processing center. At the other end of the country, a three-and-a-half-month fishing suspension in the southern province of Hainan ended on Saturday, state media reported, after agricultural affairs officials ordered ships to shelter in port owing to persistent, heavy rain. The deluge in Inner Mongolia follows a deadly downpour in Beijing - just under 1,000km away - late last month which killed at least 44 people and forced the evacuation of more than 70,000 residents. The central government announced last week 430 million yuan ($59.9 million) in fresh funding for disaster relief, taking the total allocated since April to at least 5.8 billion yuan.
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Deadly monsoon rains lash Pakistan, killing nearly 170
BAJAUR, Pakistan: Heavy monsoon rains have triggered landslides and flash floods across northern Pakistan, leaving at least 169 people dead in the last 24 hours, national and local officials said on Friday (Aug 15). The majority of the deaths, 150, were recorded in mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. Nine more people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while five died in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, it said. The majority of those killed have died in flash floods and collapsing houses. Five others, including two pilots, were killed when a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government helicopter crashed due to bad weather during a mission to deliver relief goods, the chief minister of the province, Ali Amin Gandapur, said in a statement. The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit areas. In Bajaur, a tribal district abutting Afghanistan, a crowd amassed around an excavator trawling a mud-soaked hill, AFP photos showed. Funeral prayers began in a paddock nearby, with people grieving in front of several bodies covered by blankets. The meteorological department has issued a heavy rain alert for the northwest, urging people to avoid "unnecessary exposure to vulnerable areas". In the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, a region divided with Pakistan, rescuers pulled bodies from mud and rubble on Friday after a flood crashed through a Himalayan village, killing at least 60 people and washing away dozens more. PROLONGED MONSOON The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but it also brings destruction. Landslides and flash floods are common during the season, which usually begins in June and eases by the end of September. Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah, a representative of the national disaster agency, told AFP that this year's monsoon season began earlier than usual and is expected to end later. "The next 15 days, particularly from Aug 16 till the 30th of Aug, the intensity of the monsoon will further exacerbate," he added. The provincial government has declared Saturday as a day of mourning, chief minister Gandapur said. "The national flag will fly at half-mast across the province, and the martyrs will be laid to rest with full state honours," the statement from his office said. Scientists say that climate change has made weather events around the world more extreme and more frequent. Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its population is contending with extreme weather events with increasing frequency. The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as "unusual" by authorities, have killed more than 320 people, nearly half of them children. In July, Punjab, home to nearly half of Pakistan's 255 million people, recorded 73 per cent more rainfall than the previous year and more deaths than in the entire previous monsoon. In 2022, monsoon floods submerged a third of the country and killed 1,700 people.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
Short thundery showers expected on most days for rest of August
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Short-duration thundery showers are expected over parts of the island between late morning and afternoon on most days for the rest of August. SINGAPORE – Short-duration thundery showers are expected over parts of the island between the late morning and afternoon on most days for the rest of August, said the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on Aug 15. In its fortnightly weather outlook, MSS said prevailing south-west monsoon conditions will continue in the second half of the month, with low-level winds blowing from the south-east or south-west. On a few days, the passage of Sumatra squalls may bring widespread thundery showers and gusty winds between the pre-dawn and morning. Rainfall for the second fortnight of August is likely to be near average over most parts of Singapore. Daily maximum temperatures are forecast to range between 32 deg C an d 34 deg C on most days, with a few warm and humid nights when temperatures may remain above 28 deg C . Reviewing the first half of August, MSS said short-duration thundery showers occurred over parts of the island on most afternoons. On several days, Sumatra squalls brought widespread thundery showers and gusty winds in the pre-dawn and morning. The highest daily total rainfall for the fortnight was 78.6mm , recorded in Pasir Laba on Aug 13 following widespread showers from a Sumatra squall. The first half of the month also saw several warm days, with the highest daily maximum temperature of 35.8 deg C recorded in Paya Lebar on Aug 2. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran after judge cites judicial mercy Singapore Why was Ong Beng Seng fined instead of jailed? Key points from the case Asia Sun Haiyan, ex-China ambassador to S'pore, detained for questioning: Sources Life Online travel agencies Klook and make debut at Natas Travel Fair Singapore Jail for drink-driving cop in hit-and-run accident; victim suffered multiple fractures Life How do household bomb shelters in Singapore really work? This broke the record for the highest daily maximum temperature for August, surpassing the previous high of 35.4 deg C recorded in Seletar in 2016 and Admiralty in 2020. Rainfall in the first fortnight was above average in some areas, with Jurong receiving 80 per cent more rain than usual, while Somerset saw 49 per cent below-average rainfall.
