SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL CHINA — At least 10 people died after heavy rains caused widespread flooding and landslides across southern and central China, as the China Meteorological Administration maintained elevated orange alerts on Tuesday for heavy rain and severe stormy weather. The agency warned that the precipitation system had entered its strongest, most destructive stage.
Six people died in Guangxi after a pick-up truck carrying 15 passengers fell into a swollen river during heavy rainfall. Three people were killed by flash floods in a low-lying village in Hubei, and one person died in southern Hunan province due to the flooding.
China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters activated a Level-IV emergency response in Hunan and Guangxi, and maintained the same response level for Hubei, Chongqing, and Guizhou. Level-IV is the initial tier to accelerate state-level disaster relief for floods.
Local historical rainfall records were broken in central Hubei province, where 337 townships recorded more than 100 mm of rain within a 48-hour period. In Jingzhou, Hubei, residents stood knee-deep in floodwater and caught fish swimming in submerged streets, with several cars almost entirely underwater.
Authorities suspended schools, businesses, and transport services in affected areas. Residents in parts of Hubei and Hunan are being relocated.
Meteorologists attributed the area of intense rainfall to the convergence of moisture from the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. They said the slow-moving nature of the weather system had increased cumulative rainfall totals. The National Meteorological Centre expects severe weather to move east and south over the next two days, with the heaviest rainfall forecast along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River from Wednesday.