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Chinese state media reported at least 17 deaths with hundreds of injuries as Typhoon Maysak brought torrential rains that caused rivers to burst their banks and dam walls to collapse in southern Guangxi. More than 60,000 residents were evacuated in the province alone while another 90,000 were affected by the flooding that submerged entire villages within hours. Officials in Nanning warned that continued heavy rainfall was complicating rescue operations even as emergency teams used boats to reach stranded residents in remote mountain areas.
A resident identified only by his surname Zhou told the BBC the floods happened so rapidly that villagers had no time to gather food or belongings before fleeing to higher ground. Another resident from nearby Yunbiao village named Huang described how waters submerged homes in just 10 minutes leaving many families cut off without supplies including a four-month-old infant who went more than a day without milk. State media footage showed residents sharing videos of snakes that had escaped from local farms slithering across flooded floors.
Reuters reported that two tornadoes struck central Hubei province on the same day killing at least 11 people while damaging thousands of homes. Winds reached 149 kilometres per hour overturning cars ripping roofs from buildings and sending debris flying through the air. One video captured a man being pulled from a 12th-floor window before falling to his death as sparks flew from damaged power lines.
A weather expert cited by Reuters described tornadoes as extremely rare in Hubei with the previous recorded event occurring in 2021. The expert attributed the unusual weather to colliding air masses where cold northern flows met the warm moist air drawn northward by the typhoon. Videos shared on social media showed tables and chairs tossed by the winds inside affected buildings.
President Xi Jinping directed an all-out effort for rescue and relief operations across the impacted regions according to state media. The floods also threatened agricultural production in key farming areas while infrastructure damage included disrupted roads and power supplies. Tens of thousands of residents remained displaced as teams continued searching for missing individuals in submerged zones.
The flooding and tornadoes occurred as Super Typhoon Bavi tracked across the Pacific toward Taiwan with forecasts for landfall along China’s eastern coast later in the week Reuters reported. Authorities in Taiwan prepared for heavy rainfall and strong winds from the approaching system. Forecasters monitored both storms for potential further impacts on coastal and inland provinces.
