BEIJING - Three people are dead and 11 others missing following storms that battered southern China, state media said Monday, with tens of thousands evacuated away from the torrential downpours.
Heavy rain has descended upon the vast southern province of Guangdong in recent days, swelling rivers and raising fears of severe flooding that state media said could be of the sort only “seen around once a century”.
“The three deaths were reported in Zhaoqing City. They were trapped due to the rainfall and were found to have died at the site,” state broadcaster Xinhua reported, citing local authorities.
Eleven others remain missing as search and rescue efforts in the area continue to be carried out, said Xinhua. China is no stranger to extreme weather but recent years have seen the country whiplashed by severe floods, grinding droughts and record heat. More than 53,000 people have been relocated across Guangdong, Xinhua added.
ELEVEN MISSING DURING RAINSTORM
A total of 11 people are missing after continuous heavy rainfall hit many parts of south China’s Guangdong Province in recent days, the provincial emergency management department said Monday. The search and rescue operations are still underway. The recent heavy rainfall has affected many areas including Shaoguan, Guangzhou, Heyuan, Zhaoqing, Qingyuan, Meizhou, and Huizhou. A total of 53,741 people have been relocated across the province, with 12,256 people being urgently resettled, the department said.
