Flash floods kill at least 10 people and leave 33 missing in northwestern China
At least 10 people died and 33 were missing after flash foods in Yuzhong County in China's northwestern Gansu province, Chinese state media reported Friday.
Heavy rains since Thursday had triggered flash floods and at least one landslide in mountainous areas near the city of Lanzhou, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The downpour knocked out power and telecommunications services in the Xinglong Mountain area, stranding more than 4,000 people across four villages.
Three people were missing after a landslide in the village of Maliantan in Yuzhong County late Thursday.
Maximum rainfall in the area had reached 195 millimeters (7.7 inches) by early Friday, according to Lanzhou local authorities.
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged all-out rescue and flood prevention efforts.
Several parts of China are being battered by heavy rains. In the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, seven people died and seven others were injured after a flood-triggered landslide buried homes in the city's northern Baiyun district Wednesday.
In Zhengzhou, the capital of the central Henan province, local authorities shut down schools, offices and factories and closed traffic in parts of the city, which saw catastrophic floods that killed at least 292 people in 2021.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nahar Net
a day ago
- Nahar Net
Flash floods kill at least 10 people and leave 33 missing in northwestern China
by Naharnet Newsdesk 08 August 2025, 15:23 At least 10 people died and 33 were missing after flash foods in Yuzhong County in China's northwestern Gansu province, Chinese state media reported Friday. Heavy rains since Thursday had triggered flash floods and at least one landslide in mountainous areas near the city of Lanzhou, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The downpour knocked out power and telecommunications services in the Xinglong Mountain area, stranding more than 4,000 people across four villages. Three people were missing after a landslide in the village of Maliantan in Yuzhong County late Thursday. Maximum rainfall in the area had reached 195 millimeters (7.7 inches) by early Friday, according to Lanzhou local authorities. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged all-out rescue and flood prevention efforts. Several parts of China are being battered by heavy rains. In the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, seven people died and seven others were injured after a flood-triggered landslide buried homes in the city's northern Baiyun district Wednesday. In Zhengzhou, the capital of the central Henan province, local authorities shut down schools, offices and factories and closed traffic in parts of the city, which saw catastrophic floods that killed at least 292 people in 2021.
Nahar Net
a day ago
- Nahar Net
High temperatures threaten to reignite blaze after France's largest wildfire in decades
by Naharnet Newsdesk 08 August 2025, 15:25 Firefighters and local authorities remained on high alert Friday after France's largest wildfire in decades was contained in the south of the country, amid forecasts of very high temperatures which could reignite the blaze. Over three days, the fire spread across more than 160 square kilometers (62 square miles) in the Aude wine region and claimed one life, forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes. In hot and dry weather, the blaze quickly spread with a perimeter reaching 90 kilometers and local authorities said they need to remain vigilant throughout the weekend as temperatures are expected to rise above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) during another heat wave. Region administrator Christian Pouget said some 1,000 people have not yet been able to return to their homes after the fire swept through 15 communes in the Corbières mountain region, destroying or damaging at least 36 homes. One person died at home, and at least 21 others were injured, including 16 firefighters, according to local authorities. Some 1,300 homes were still without electricity on Friday morning after infrastructure was extensively damaged, the Aude prefecture said. Residents have been warned not to return home without authorization, as many roads remain blocked and dangerous. Those forced to flee have been housed in emergency shelters across 17 municipalities. "On Tuesday when the fire started, we learned that the inhabitants of the nearby village of Durban-Corbières were arriving in Tuchan," Beatrice Bertrand, the mayor of Tuchan, told The Associated Press. "We have received and hosted over 200 people. We gave them food, thanks to local businesses who opened their stores despite it being very late. "Civil Protection brought us beds. And also the local villagers offered their homes to welcome them. It was their first night here and many were shocked and scared." An investigation is underway to determine what sparked the fire. The fire was the largest recorded since France's national fire database was created in 2006. But France's minister for ecological transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, called the blaze the worst since 1949 and linked it to climate change. Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. Last month, a wildfire that reached the southern port of Marseille, France's second-largest city, left around 300 people injured. Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Nahar Net
3 days ago
- Nahar Net
France biggest wildfire of summer has eclipsed size of Paris and is still spreading
by Naharnet Newsdesk 06 August 2025, 18:06 France's biggest wildfire this summer was spreading quickly Wednesday in a Mediterranean region near the Spanish border after leaving one person dead, authorities said. The fire had burned an area larger than Paris. About 2,000 firefighters and several water bomber aircraft battled the blaze that broke out Tuesday afternoon in the village of Ribaute in the Aude region, a rural, wooded area that is home to wineries. The fire, which has burned 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres), remained ''very active'' on Wednesday, the local administration said in a statement. The weather was hot, dry and windy, making it difficult for firefighters to contain the blaze. One person died in their home, and at least 13 others were injured, including 11 firefighters, local authorities said. One person who was initially described as missing has been located and is safe. Jacques Piraux, mayor of the village of Jonquières, said all residents have been evacuated. "It's a scene of sadness and desolation," he told broadcaster BFM TV after he visited Wednesday morning. "It looks like a lunar landscape, everything is burned. More than half or three-quarters of the village has burned down. It's hellish." Residents and tourists in nearby areas were requested to remain in their homes unless told to evacuate. Two campsites were evacuated as a precaution. French Prime Minister François Bayrou met Wednesday afternoon with firefighters and residents at Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, where the fire service's command post has been set up. The environment ministry said the Aude region has been experiencing a drought this month, with water use restrictions in place. Lack of rainfall in recent months "played a major role in the spreading of the fire, since the vegetation is very dry," the statement said. Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. Last month, a wildfire that reached the southern port of Marseille, France's second-largest city, left around 300 people injured. Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
