Severe storms across parts of China have killed at least 15 people, with hundreds more injured and tens of thousands evacuated, state media reported on Tuesday. President Xi Jinping called for an “all out” rescue effort as the death toll rose and rescue operations continued.
In the central province of Hubei, thunderstorms and gale-force winds claimed 11 lives and injured 331 others on Monday evening. State news agency Xinhua reported that 4,800 houses were damaged and 22 collapsed, describing the weather as “severe convective” with sudden, intense winds.
Meanwhile, in the southern region of Guangxi, heavy rains and flooding from Typhoon Maysak killed at least four people and forced more than 50,000 to evacuate. Eight people remain missing. Officials in Nanning, the regional capital, raised the flood control response to the highest level after torrential rain breached dams, with dramatic footage showing water rushing past a collapsed reservoir wall.
In a separate incident, a landslide in a village in north-western Gansu province buried 33 people on Tuesday morning. State broadcaster CCTV reported that 17 had been successfully rescued, with local authorities making every effort to search for the remaining trapped individuals and guard against secondary disasters.
Xi Jinping urged rescue workers to “go all out” in emergency operations, state media said. Footage showed rescue teams in life vests searching on inflatable boats. Natural disasters are common in China during summer, and scientists warn that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.
