Torrential rains that have been affecting southern China for several days have caused flooding in the country’s manufacturing heartland, leading to the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents and killing at least three people, it was reported on Monday 22 April, the Xinhua news agency cited the body overseeing emergency situations. The three victims “were trapped by rain” in Zhaoqing, a prefectural city in Guangdong, the agency said, adding that searches are underway to locate eleven missing people. These are the first officially reported.
Since Thursday, heavy rains have hit Guangdong, a coastal province in southeastern China, emblematic of Chinese manufacturing power, as well as the richest and most populous in the country – with some 127 million inhabitants –, which has as capital Canton. Precipitation has caused rivers to swell to such a level that there are fears of “floods of the century”, local authorities warned on Sunday on the eve of another day of bad weather.
Heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds, according to Chinese weather services, are still expected on Monday in the metropolis of Shenzhen, the headquarters of many technology companies and bordering Hong Kong. Provinces bordering Guangdong, notably Fujian (east) and Guizhou (southwest), will also be affected by heavy downpours, weather services have warned.
Torrent of mud and more than 50,000 people relocated
More than 53,000 people in Guangdong have had to be relocated in recent days, according to Xinhua. The vast majority were evacuated from Qingyuan, a town located about sixty kilometers from Guangzhou and crossed by the Bei River, a tributary of the Pearl River Delta.
Bad weather in recent days has caused landslides in mountainous areas. Six people were injured and several others trapped near the city of Jiangwan in northern Guangdong, according to state television CCTV.
Images broadcast by the channel show homes on the banks of a river destroyed by a torrent of mud, and people being treated by emergency services on a waterlogged sports field.
Heavy rainfall in southern China is not unusual, especially in summer. But the country has faced extreme weather conditions in recent months, exacerbated by climate change, scientists say.
