According to local authorities, torrential floods have left at least six people dead and forced over 80 000 residents to be temporarily evacuated from their homes as catastrophic floods inundated southwest China’s Guizhou province after a tropical depression made landfall, reports Cape {town} Etc.
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, ‘exceptionally large floods’ resulting from continuous heavy rainfall and upstream inflows had swept through Guizhou’s Rongjiang county since Tuesday, causing significant damage to infrastructure and stranding residents.
By Thursday morning, flood control officials confirmed the tragic death toll, adding that the emergency response was operating at its highest level, evacuating 80 900 people from Rongjiang and Congjiang County.
Largest flood on record!
The Duliu River in Rongjiang, Guizhou in China just saw its most extreme flood ever, with water surging at 11,400 cubic meters per second and rising a staggering 11 meters above normal levels!pic.twitter.com/ORdRQMfQ9s
— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) June 24, 2025
‘As of 11am on Thursday… six people have unfortunately lost their lives,’ said CCTV, citing the local flood control headquarters.
‘Many low-lying areas in the county were flooded, and the infrastructure of some towns was seriously damaged, resulting in traffic obstruction, communications blackouts and some people being trapped,’ the broadcaster said.
‘The water level in the county has now retreated below the warning level,’ it added, saying ‘post-disaster recovery and reconstruction and investigation of trapped people are underway.’
Efforts are reportedly focused on dredging, draining water, preventing epidemics, disinfecting affected areas, initiating post-disaster recovery and searching for trapped individuals.
Footage aired by Xinhua News Agency showed rescue operations carried out by emergency services after reporting on Wednesday that a football field in Rongjiang was ‘submerged under three metres of water‘, and a resident said they were rescued from the third floor of their home.
The publication described the flood as the most severe in 50 years, noting that water flow at peak levels reached 11 360 cubic metres per second. Temporary shelters have been erected for the displaced, as emergency personnel continue to assist affected communities.
🌧 “Devastating floods 🌊 hit Guizhou Province, China, forcing over 80,000 evacuations due to relentless rainfall. Rivers overflow, submerging towns like Rongjiang. Rescue efforts underway as climate change fuels extreme weather. #ChinaFlood pic.twitter.com/p5sHjeFz3X
— Zero Point (@BlueTick_21) June 26, 2025
In the wake of the deluge, a tropical depression made landfall in China’s Hainan province on Thursday, with forecasts predicting it will cross the northeastern tip of the island before heading back into the South China Sea and making a second landfall in Guangdong province, reported Al Jazeera.
China’s National Meteorological Centre warned that the storm could pose additional risks to flood-weary areas in Guangdong, as well as in the inland regions of Guangxi and Hunan, which could trigger secondary disasters such as flash floods, landslides, mudslides and structural collapses.
Also read:
Neighbourhood watch rescues drowning schoolboy in flooded Parkwood
Picture: @INDIAN / X
