Deadly tornadoes and floods batter China as Super Typhoon Bavi looms
At least 11 people died in Hubei province after rare tornadoes swept through, while a dam breach in Guangxi forced thousands to evacuate and a super typhoon approaches Taiwan.
Tornadoes strike Hubei
At least 11 people were killed and over 330 injured when severe thunderstorms and two tornadoes hit eastern Hubei province on Monday night. The storms, with wind speeds reaching 149 km/h (level 13 on the extended Beaufort scale), battered the cities of Huangshi, Huanggang, Ezhou and Xianning for over four hours. Twenty-two residential buildings collapsed and another 4,855 were damaged, according to state news agency Xinhua. One person remains missing. Tornadoes are rare in this central Chinese province; the last recorded event was in May 2021. A student in Huanggang told the BBC that he saw "things started flying through the air outside" his dormitory window, and many students were cut by flying glass.
Go all out to rescue those affected by the storms.
Dam breach floods Guangxi
In the southern region of Guangxi, torrential rain from Tropical Storm Maysak caused the Liulan reservoir dam in Hengzhou city to breach on Monday morning. Floodwaters surged through the valley, prompting authorities to issue a red alert, the highest level. Reports on casualties vary: some state media say four people died and eight are missing, while local authorities earlier reported two deaths. About 55,000 people were affected, and 48,000 were evacuated from the area. River levels rose up to 7.5 meters above warning levels. Maysak made landfall on Hainan island on Friday before moving towards Vietnam, bringing record-breaking rainfall to Guangxi.
- Tropical Storm Maysak makes landfall on Hainan island.
- Maysak brings heavy rain to Nanning, Guangxi.
- Liulan reservoir dam breaches in Hengzhou.
- Two tornadoes strike Hubei province.
- Red flood alerts issued; landslide in Gansu buries 33.
- Super Typhoon Bavi forecast to hit Taiwan.
Landslide in Gansu
In the northwestern province of Gansu, a landslide early Tuesday buried 33 people in Tanchang county. Rescue workers have pulled out 17 survivors, but 16 remain trapped. Authorities have not specified the cause of the landslide, though heavy rains have also affected the region.
More extreme weather ahead
China's National Meteorological Center warned that central and southern provinces should brace for more torrential rainfall on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Super Typhoon Bavi is churning in the Pacific and is forecast to make landfall in Taiwan on Friday, before heading towards China's east coast. Meteorologists attribute the heightened risk of extreme weather this summer to the El Niño climate phenomenon.
