Rescue efforts intensify in China's Hunan as record floods kill 6, leave 10 missing

Rescue operations are in full swing in central China's Hunan Province after record-breaking rains triggered devastating floods, killing at least six people and leaving ten missing as of Thursday morning, local authorities said.

A relentless downpour battered Shimen County in Changde City from May 17 to 20, with average precipitation reaching 115.3 millimeters. The hardest-hit areas included Hupingshan, Suojie and Nanbei townships. Hupingshan recorded 244.5 millimeters of rain in six hours and 359.6 millimeters in 24 hours, both unprecedented for the county.

The deluge caused rivers to swell rapidly, forcing 42 small reservoirs to overflow. As of Thursday evening, two reservoirs were still discharging excess water.

"Preliminary statistics show that 23 townships and sub-districts in Shimen County have been affected to varying degrees, with a total affected population of 104,800. Infrastructure, including bridges, roads, communications, power and water supply facilities, has been severely damaged. As of 08:00 on Thursday, six people have died and ten remain missing," said Peng Zhiming, director of Changde Municipal Emergency Management Bureau, at a press conference on Thursday.

Rescuers have formed five search teams focused on five key areas, working to locate the missing and evacuate those trapped. Difficult terrain and damaged roads are hampering the effort.

"In some areas, poor road conditions have made it impossible to conduct ground searches at all designated locations. When using drone infrared equipment, heavy mountain fog has further limited the search range. Going forward, we will continue to spare no effort in rescue operations," said Chen Zhi, deputy director of Changde Municipal Fire and Rescue Bureau.

On Thursday morning, two helicopters carrying instant noodles and bottled water took off from Shimen County's sports center and airdropped supplies to isolated villages in Hupingshan township.

Due to the rugged terrain and rapidly changing mountain weather, the helicopters could only fly during brief lulls in the rain. Their missions included aerial search, damage assessment, supply delivery and rescue of stranded residents.

As floodwaters begin to recede, disaster relief, livelihood support and post‑flood reconstruction are progressing in an orderly manner.

Local authorities have deployed 73 emergency teams to repair damaged roads, power lines and communications. By Thursday evening, national highway G241 had fully reopened, though one provincial and three county roads remained under traffic control. Power supply in township centers has been restored.

Rescue efforts intensify in China's Hunan as record floods kill 6, leave 10 missing

The Shenzhou-23 crewed space mission conducted its last comprehensive practice before launch on Friday, completing function checks of all systems and other preparation work.

The combination of the spaceship and a Long March-2F carrier rocket was transported to the launch site last Saturday and is scheduled for launch in the coming days, with all facilities and equipment at the launch site in good condition, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Carried out by the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the Xi'an Satellite Control Center, and various control stations under the coordination of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, the drill simulated all stages of the launch mission, including pre-launch preparations, liftoff, climb, and the in-orbit phase.

"The joint practice is to test the system's communication links, command capability, equipment, and personnel. Based on the current progress, everything is normal. What's going on in parallel is a full-system gas leak detection," He said.

The rehearsal validated the reliability of key systems, including the rocket, the spaceship, the launch site, the control and communication equipment, and the coordination between different systems. It also verified the functionality and technical status of the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft-rocket combination.

"The Shenzhou-23 spaceship is in the third batch of spacecraft after the completion of the construction of the space station. It incorporates many new quality control measures, and its payload transport capacity, reliability, and safety have all been significantly improved," said Li Zhe, an employee of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

With all facilities in good condition, the Jiuquan launch site will later conduct rocket propellant filling and launch operations.

Search and recovery drills are also underway at the landing site, in preparation for the return of the Shenzhou-21 crew.

Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship ready for launch