Torrential rains continued to batter southern China on Tuesday, causing severe flooding and prompting mass evacuations in parts of Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Huaiji County in Guangdong's Zhaoqing City was particularly hard hit, with urban streets submerged in flood water and tens of thousands evacuated.
The Sui River at the county's hydrological station reached a peak of 55.22 meters at 7:05 Wednesday local time, exceeding the warning level by 5.22 meters and marking the highest flood level since records began.
Authorities in Huaiji acted swiftly, initiating a top-level flood control emergency response on Tuesday evening. Schools, businesses, and transportation services were suspended, and all emergency shelters were opened.
Across the county, 19 towns have been affected, impacting over 78,000 people, with more than 29,000 evacuated. No casualties have been reported so far.
More than half of Huaiji's urban roads are still in flood, with water levels reaching up to three meters in some areas. Power and internet services are still disrupted.
Further south in Guangdong, Maoming City was swept by intense rainfall on Tuesday evening.
According to the meteorological department, the rainfall in the city's downtown area reached 100 to 140 millimeters in the two hours from 19:00 to 21:00 local time. The flood water in some street sections reached a depth of more than 0.5 meters, disrupting traffic and trapping some residents.
Also on Tuesday, heavy downpours lashed in central, southern, and coastal areas of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. In Fangchenggang City, low-lying areas were submerged under up to 1.2 meters of water. Firefighters carried out emergency rescues to evacuate trapped residents.
Heavy rains flood cities in southern China
