Record levels of rain, of well over 600mm, hit China’s central Hunan province this weekend, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people, state media reported.
The heavy rain driven by high winds, which came in the wake of Typhoon Gaemi, has triggered three river dyke breaches in less than 20 hours, with the latest on Monday.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management on Sunday also activated a fourth-level emergency response to floods in southwest Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, Xinhua reported.
In a statement, the ministry said that from July 28 to 31, most areas of Guizhou and Yunnan will experience heavy rainfall, with some areas to be hit by “extremely heavy rainstorms.”
It warned that the heavy rains will give rise to high risks of floods in small and medium-sized rivers, mountain torrents, geological disasters, and severe waterlogging in urban regions.
In light of this, an emergency response for flood control in the two provinces was activated at 7 p.m. Sunday, it said.
The latest breach of the Juan River in Xiangtan happened early on Monday afternoon. On Sunday evening, floodwaters breached two other dykes on the waterway – a tributary of the Xiang River – forcing more than 4,000 people to leave their homes, state media said.
“Due to the surge of the river, the water level has almost submerged tree trunks on either side of the river … as well as the ground floors of many homes,” state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday.
On Sunday morning, 15 people were killed and six others injured after a severe landslide triggered by heavy rain swept away a guest house in the city of Hengyang.
Much of China has been battling torrential rain and flooding in recent weeks with 15 provinces now on emergency alert.
The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) on Sunday urged authorities to closely follow the rainstorms and severe weather after the typhoon swept through the region.
