Floods Kill at Least 10 in Southern and Central China

At least 10 people have died after heavy rains caused widespread flooding and landslides across southern and central China. The China Meteorological Administration maintained elevated orange alerts on Tuesday for heavy rain and severe stormy weather, warning that the precipitation system has entered its strongest stage.

China’s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters activated a Level-IV emergency response in Hunan and Guangxi. The same tier remained in place for Hubei, Chongqing, and Guizhou.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that 337 townships in Hubei recorded more than 100 mm of rain within a 48-hour window. In Guangxi, six people died after a pick-up truck carrying 15 passengers fell into a swollen river. In Hubei, three people were killed by flash floods in a low-lying village, and one death was recorded in southern Hunan province.

Images on the Chinese social media platform Douyin showed residents in Jingzhou, Hubei, standing knee-deep in floodwater. Some residents caught fish swimming in submerged streets, and several cars were almost entirely underwater.

Meteorologists attributed the unusually large 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. Authorities have suspended schools, businesses, and transport services in affected areas, and emergency responses are under way.