Following the flash floods in Yuzhong County, Gansu Province, thousands of residents have been relocated to safety, with authorities turning 54 hotels and 14 schools or village offices into temporary shelters to house nearly 10,000 evacuees.
Yuzhong County No. 3 Middle School, the biggest shelter, is currently accommodating 170 people from Maliantan Village, Mapo Township.
"After arriving at this shelter, we had hot meals, hot water, bedding was laid out, cotton-padded clothes were given to us, and there were medical staff. We felt much more at ease," said Zhang Caixia, a resident who arrived at the shelter on Saturday early morning.
To make life here easier, the shelter is staffed with medical workers and psychological counselors. For the more than 20 children now living here, special activities such as drawing class, games and storytelling were organized.
"Right now our focus is on solving the living and eating needs of the affected residents. In terms of living, we have prepared 330 beds, with bedding, toiletries and other daily necessities fully provided. For meals, while ensuring quality and quantity, we also pay attention to nutrition. We are doing everything possible to guarantee the basic living needs of residents during their stay here, " said Ding Xingzhen, principal of the Yuzhong County No. 3 Middle School.
Torrential rain hit Yuzhong County and other parts of Lanzhou, the provincial capital, on Thursday evening, triggering flash floods and mudslides.
According to the Office of Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, as of Saturday night, the disaster had resulted in 15 deaths, left 28 people missing, and 15 injured.
Gansu authorities convert public facilities into temporary shelters to relocate flood-hit evacuees
Russia said on Saturday that its armed forces had taken control over two more settlements in the Sumy and Donetsk regions, while Ukraine, on the same day, reported strikes against a Russian frigate.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said in its latest report that over the past 24 hours, the Russian forces had gained control over the settlements of Vysoke in the Sumy region and Svitle in the Donetsk region.
The ministry also said its forces had struck facilities used to transport Western-supplied weapons, ammunition and fuel depots, as well as temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries.
On the same day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that in the early hours of Friday, Ukrainian troops had successfully hit a Russian frigate using drones. The warship was patrolling near an oil and gas production platform in the Caspian Sea at the time.
It said efforts are currently underway to determine the extent of damage to the vessel and to confirm its hull number.
It also reported that a drilling platform located at the Filanovsky oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea had been struck. The platform, owned by Russian energy corporation Lukoil, has been supplying materials to Russian troops.
So far, there has been no official response from the Russian side regarding these incidents.
Also on Saturday, according to Russia's TASS News Agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev had arrived at a golf club in Miami, U.S. state of Florida, where he held a new round of talks regarding a draft peace plan to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Following the meeting, Dmitriev described the talks with the U.S. as constructive and said that discussions would continue on Sunday.
A day earlier, Ukraine's chief peace negotiator, Rustem Umerov, and the chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces, Andrii Hnatov, had held consultations in the United States with American and European counterparts on the draft peace plan for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that Umerov had briefed him on the previous day's talks between Ukraine and the U.S.
He revealed that the issue of territory remains unresolved and emphasized that Ukraine is committed to reaching a stable and lasting peace agreement that provides reliable long-term security guarantees.
According to Zelensky, the U.S. has proposed holding a trilateral meeting involving the national security advisors of Ukraine, the United States and Russia.
Noting that in the negotiations for a potential peace agreement, the most critical issue -- territory -- remains unsettled, Zelensky said that any agreement should establish the current line of contact as a ceasefire line, with the goal of gradually reclaiming Ukraine’s occupied territories through diplomatic means on that basis. He further emphasized that Ukraine has made it clear to its American partners that, under its constitution, Ukraine cannot cede any territory.
Currently, Ukraine is working with its partners to outline every clause of the agreement, ensuring that it is not a vague deal about the division of territory and resources, but rather one focused on stable, lasting peace and reliable security guarantees, Zelensky said.
He said the security guarantee clauses for Ukraine in the agreement must be fair and effective, and that Ukraine must be fully informed of the specific details -- including how the United States and Europe would respond and react if Russia were to launch another attack, and what kind of deterrence package Ukraine would receive.
Regarding elections, Zelensky said that two aspects require attention in any future Ukrainian elections: security and legislation.
He said that during wartime, ways must be found to advance legislative reforms, while voting can only take place if security is guaranteed. Ukraine has already discussed this matter with the U.S., added Zelensky.
Russia claims capturing 2 more settlements, Ukraine claims strike on Russian frigate
