Dozens killed as rainstorms and floods ravage south China

A flooded village in Yangshuo county in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where six people were reported dead and one missing, on Sunday. People in Yangshuo, a popular tourist destination, had to evacuate on bamboo rafts.
A flooded village in Yangshuo county in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where six people were reported dead and one missing, on Sunday. People in Yangshuo, a popular tourist destination, had to evacuate on bamboo rafts. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

BEIJING • Floods and mudslides in south China have uprooted hundreds of thousands of people and left dozens dead or missing, state media reported yesterday.

The bad weather has wreaked havoc on popular tourist areas that had already been battered by months of travel restrictions during the coronavirus outbreak.

Torrential downpours unleashed floods and mudslides that caused nearly 230,000 people to be relocated and destroyed more than 1,300 houses, state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the Ministry of Emergency Management.

In southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, six people were reported dead and one missing, Xinhua said.

Streets were waterlogged in popular tourist destination Yangshuo, forcing residents and visitors to evacuate on bamboo rafts.

The local government said more than 1,000 hotels had been flooded and over 30 tourist sites were damaged.

One owner of a family-run hotel told Xinhua the guest rooms were submerged in 1m of floodwater.

The extreme weather has dealt a hefty blow to the region's tourism sector, which is still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ministry said there were direct economic losses of over 4 billion yuan (S$784 million) from the flooding, Xinhua reported.

In Hunan province, at least 13 people were killed in rain-triggered disasters, and another eight people are missing or killed in south-western Guizhou province, according to the local emergency response departments, Xinhua said.

The heavy downpours began at the start of this month and have led to "dangerously high water levels" in 110 rivers, Xinhua reported.

Further rainstorms are expected in the next few days across the south.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 12, 2020, with the headline Dozens killed as rainstorms and floods ravage south China. Subscribe