Power supply has been fully restored to all towns hit by Thursday's deadly flash floods in northwest China's Gansu Province, which damaged roads, caused blackouts, and disrupted telecommunications services.
Torrential rain hit Yuzhong County and other parts of Lanzhou, the provincial capital, on Thursday evening, triggering flash floods and mudslides that damaged seven major power transmission lines in the county.
In a swift response, the State Grid Gansu Electric Power Company activated a Level-III flood emergency, dispatching 330 personnel in 11 teams with 73 vehicles, 42 generators, and three generator trucks to the affected areas.
As of Saturday night, crews repaired all damaged power transmission lines and began rebuilding the network.
Restoration of the S104 highway has made significant progress, with half of the sections leading to Mapo Town and Xinglong Mountain repaired.
Mapo, one of the hardest-hit towns in Yuzhong, has relocated all residents to safer areas.
Xinglong Mountain is home to the well-known scenic spot Xinglongshan National Nature Reserve, whose tourist service center was inundated, while several landslides blocked the only road leading to the reserve.
On Saturday afternoon, rescue teams completed repairing the road at another landslide site, restoring traffic on a four-kilometer section toward Mapo and a two-kilometer section toward the nature reserve.
With three sites left to clear, crews expect to reopen all affected sections of the highway on Sunday.
Power supply fully restored in flood-hit areas of Gansu
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia rang in the year of 2026 with spectacular light and fireworks displays at their landmarks, igniting the night sky at the stroke of midnight on Jan 1.
Amidst the countdown and cheers from the crowd, the iconic 828-meter-high Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE illuminated the skyline with "Happy New Year" in Arabic, English, and Chinese on the tower's LED screens.
The eight-minute visually stunning show at the world's tallest skyscraper also featured drone performances and 3D projection mapping, vividly showcasing Dubai's cultural heritage and cutting-edge technology.
The New Year celebrations in downtown Dubai will be extended to eight days for the first time, running from December 31, 2025, to January 7, 2026, according to local authorities.
Australia also welcomed the New Year with dazzling fireworks in Sydney, attracting millions of visitors from all over the world to gather by the seaside to share the festive joy.
The Sydney celebration featured two separate fireworks displays – an 8-minute show at 21:00 and a 12-minute one at the midnight. Fireworks were launched from water, land, and aerial platforms at landmarks including the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, spanning seven kilometers along the harbor and showcasing 40,000 different pyrotechnic effects.
This annual event in the Southern Hemisphere city is one of the world's most spectacular New Year celebrations, drawing millions of spectators every year. On Wednesday, people from across the globe arrived early at viewing locations to share this special moment with families and friends.
"We spend the time together with friends because everybody is away from their families, otherwise maybe you'll get a little bit homesick," said Hendrik, an Estonian working in Australia.
"My New Year's wish for my wife is to become healthy after I am pretty much healthy again," said Atthians, a German tourist.
UAE, Australia ring in New Year with spectacular fireworks
