Several provinces in southern and central China are facing heavy rainfall and severe flooding, resulting in at least 10 deaths. Numerous schools and businesses have been forced to close as authorities expedite evacuations and issue warnings about landslides, flash floods, and sudden inundations in various areas.
Chinese local agencies reported that continuous heavy rains since 16 May have caused severe flooding and disrupted transportation routes across many provinces in central and southern China.
China's meteorological office has issued high-risk warnings for water-related disasters such as landslides, flash floods, and urban waterlogging in capital cities and communities. These warnings cover Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong provinces, and Hainan Island. Officials have escalated emergency response measures in the affected areas.
In Jingzhou city, Hubei province, central China, floodwaters in urban areas have risen to knee level. Videos shared on the Douyin platform show residents easily catching fish and other aquatic animals floating through the streets, while numerous cars are nearly submerged under water, surrounded by buildings and commercial establishments encircled by floodwaters.
China Central Television (CCTV) reported at least 10 confirmed deaths. The most severe accident occurred in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the southwest, where a pickup truck carrying 15 passengers lost control and plunged into a fast-flowing, overflowing river due to heavy rain, resulting in at least six immediate fatalities.
Additionally, three deaths were reported from flash floods inundating low-lying villages in Hubei province, and one death occurred in Shimen County, Hunan province. In Hunan, two people remain missing, with rescue teams continuing search efforts.
The severe flooding has forced major cities like Jingzhou and Zhijiang in Hubei province to take drastic measures, including suspending school classes, halting factory production lines, closing businesses, and temporarily suspending public transportation. Jingzhou authorities activated a level 3 emergency flood response plan on Monday morning. Meanwhile, in Hunan province, 18,406 residents have been evacuated to safety, with officials providing basic supplies.
Chinese meteorologists explained that the unprecedented heavy rainfall, covering an area over 1,000 kilometers wide, resulted from the convergence of massive moisture from the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. The slow movement of this weather system caused accumulated heavy rain leading to the crisis. China's National Meteorological Center forecasts that the intense rain will gradually move east and south over the next two days, with the middle and lower Yangtze River basins expecting the heaviest precipitation.
Meanwhile, on Hainan Island in southern China, geological disaster warnings have been issued after a landslide struck a highway in Lingshui County, forcing authorities to close several main roads for safety.
In addition to flooding disasters, Guangxi province is also coping with a magnitude 5.2 earthquake that occurred on Monday (18 May), felt across several cities. Authorities have established 99 temporary shelters to accommodate over 4,000 residents and have evacuated more than 7,000 people from areas at risk of compounded disasters.