At least 47 individuals have perished, as torrential rains in southern China’s Guangdong province triggered unprecedented flooding and landslides, according to state media. Authorities have issued warnings about the potential for further severe weather in other regions of the country.
On Friday afternoon, June 21, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV confirmed that an additional 38 people had died in a county governed by Meizhou city, in addition to the nine fatalities previously reported in other parts of Meizhou.
The intense rainfall resulted in landslides, floods, and mudslides that extensively damaged eight townships in Pingyuan county, where the recent deaths were reported, according to CCTV. The heaviest rainfall occurred on Sunday, with an average precipitation of 199 mm (7.83 inches), and one town experiencing 365.7 mm (14.4 inches).
The severe weather also devastated approximately 356 kilometers (221 miles) of roads, damaged over a hundred bridges, and inundated farmland.
The previous day, CCTV had reported four fatalities in Meizhou’s Meixian district and five in Jiaoling County.
The most intense rains were from Sunday to Tuesday, uprooting trees and causing homes to collapse.
A road leading to Meixian district completely gave way during the heavy rains.
The Songyuan river, which flows through Meizhou, experienced its highest recorded flood level.
The estimated direct economic loss in Jiaoling county is 3.65 billion yuan ($502 million), while in Meixian district, the loss is 1.06 billion yuan ($146 million).
Other regions of the country are also anticipating heavy rains and severe weather in the next 24 hours, with the National Meteorological Center issuing warnings for several southern provinces and some areas in the north.
Henan and Anhui provinces in central China, along with Jiangsu province on the coast and the southern province of Guizhou, are all expecting hail and intense thunderstorms, according to the forecast. Rainfall could reach 50 mm to 80 mm (1.9 to 3.14 inches) in one day in Henan, Anhui, and Hubei provinces, as per the National Meteorological Center.
Last week, the southern provinces of Fujian and Guangxi faced landslides and flooding due to heavy rainfall.