Emergency rescue efforts have been ongoing to evacuate stranded residents after a bout of intense rainfall caused severe flooding in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in recent days.
An intense operation unfolded on Sunday in Guangxi's Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County to transfer residents trapped in a heavily flooded area of a compound in Nanxia Township. A number of roads were left totally submerged by floodwater, which reached nearly four meters deep at some of the worst affected spots, while swathes of surrounding farmland were also inundated.
Firefighters rushed to the scene with rescue equipment and deployed inflatable rescue boats to navigate their way around the affected village, carrying out door-to-door searches to locate any trapped residents. After nearly three hours of efforts, 17 local people were safely evacuated.
Meanwhile, water levels rose rapidly on Sunday night after heavy downpours hit the area, leaving dozens of residents stranded in a remote village in Tian'e County of Hechi City.
Soldiers from the People's Armed Police Force in Hechi responded to the alarm. However, access to the village was blocked by debris from a landslide, meaning soldiers had to carry rescue equipment to the site on foot, before using inflatable boats to reach the trapped villagers. By noon Monday, all 30 residents were reported to have been safely evacuated.
According to the local meteorological department, the county is still expected to experience heavy rainfall in the coming days.
Elsewhere, the Liuzhou Maritime Bureau received an emergency call on Sunday afternoon that a fish farming raft had broken loose from its mooring after being swept away by rising floodwaters, and was drifting dangerously downstream along the Liujiang River with four people trapped aboard.
Responding swiftly, the bureau's command center dispatched patrol vessels to search for the stricken raft, with rescuers later successfully transferring all four stranded individuals to the ferry, bringing them to safety.
According to hydrological data released on Monday morning, the water level at the Liuzhou Hydrological Station exceeded 82.89 meters, exceeding the warning level. However, other major rivers in the region remained below warning thresholds.
In response to ongoing flood risks, the Liuzhou Maritime Bureau has strengthened on-site patrols and remote electronic monitoring, and is strategically deploying emergency resources to ensure safety on the waterways.
In Wuzhou, located downstream along the Xijiang River, rising water levels are being monitored. A surge of upstream water has caused a visible increase in the river's volume, with its color turning muddy yellow while the water flow also sped up.
By Monday morning, riverside pedestrian walkways in Wuzhou's urban section were already submerged. Riverside market vendors had thankfully already began relocating essential equipment to higher ground in preparation for the floods.
"The Liujiang River has already peaked and is receding, but the water levels in the Xunjiang and Xijiang Rivers continue to rise. We expect the water level of the Xijiang River at the Wuzhou Hydrological Station to reach its peak level of about 16.3 meters around 8:00 on Tuesday. We suggest prioritizing flood prevention and safety measures in low-lying areas," said Shi Shan from the Wuzhou Hydrology Center.
According to local meteorological department, the water levels of all rivers in Wuzhou are currently below the warning level.
Rescue teams rush to save stranded locals after heavy rain hits Guangxi
