Heavy rain triggered by the remnants of Typhoon Maysak has caused severe flooding in Guigang City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, leaving over 12,000 teachers and students trapped in the Xijiang Education Park. Local authorities have launched a multi-department emergency rescue operation.
The main entrance to the education park is completely submerged. Water levels have reached depths of seven meters at the deepest point, cutting off all access to the park. Only tree canopies remain visible above the floodwater, and rescuers are using inflatable boats and rubber dinghies to enter the area. Many low-lying buildings have been flooded, and the campus has lost power and water supply.
"Delivery of supplies is also very difficult. All the students and teachers, around 12,000 in total, need to be evacuated. Those who can go home will do so first. For those who cannot, we have set up designated shelters. All collected supplies are being sent to those shelters," said Yang Bing, deputy director of the Guigang Education Bureau.
The rising water levels, vast flooded area, and complex underwater conditions have added to the difficulty of rescue operations.
"The current challenge is that there are too many students—over 12,000. We are continuously strengthening our transport capacity," on-site commander Wang Yonggang explained.
In the meantime, the schools in the park have developed their own transfer plans and registered the information of all stranded individuals.
As of Thursday, an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 students still need to be evacuated, and rescue workers are planning to complete the evacuation later in the day by using powered pontoon bridges and rescue boats.
Local authorities have set up temporary shelters in the city to accommodate evacuated students and ensure their basic needs are met.
Rescue under way to evacuate all teachers, students trapped by floods in Guangxi
Renewed U.S.-Iran strikes have heightened concerns over maritime navigation and aviation safety across the Middle East, leaving thousands of seafarers stranded and airlines rerouting flights to avoid conflict zones.
In a new round of escalation of tensions beginning Tuesday, the United States has launched strikes against 80 Iranian targets, and in response, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps attacked 85 U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.
International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez on Wednesday condemned recent attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and called on all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint and de-escalate tensions to safeguard the safety of seafarers.
In a statement, Dominguez said he regretted having to once again speak out following attacks on commercial ships and innocent seafarers caused by geopolitical circumstances beyond their control. He condemned the attacks over the past two days against several ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, saying the reckless assaults had once again placed innocent seafarers in grave danger.
Dominguez urged flag states, shipowners, operators and relevant authorities to avoid exposing seafarers to unnecessary danger by transiting the Strait of Hormuz as long as the safety and security of crews cannot be assured. He noted that the regional situation remains volatile and that the latest attacks have further intensified the fear, uncertainty and psychological strain already being endured by nearly 6,000 seafarers stranded aboard vessels unable to leave the Persian Gulf safely since the crisis began.
The IMO chief also called on all states concerned to exercise maximum restraint, de-escalate the situation without delay, and facilitate the safe departure of ships still trapped in the Gulf.
Also on Wednesday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas posted on social media that the exchanges of fire between the U.S. and Iran have further complicated already fraught talks to end the war.
She said EU foreign ministers will meet with their Gulf counterparts next Monday to discuss how to preserve freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
On the same day, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a statement, warning airlines to avoid the airspace of Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, citing renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities and escalating tensions in the Middle East.
US-Iran strikes raise alarm over Middle East shipping, aviation safety
