Heavy Rains Flood Southern and Central China, At Least Ten Dead

Torrential rain swept Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan on Tuesday, causing flooding that closed schools, halted transport and power, and forced business suspensions. In Jingzhou, Hubei, residents waded knee-deep while fish swam past submerged cars. A pickup truck carrying 15 passengers capsized in a flooded Guangxi river, killing several occupants. Flash-floods killed three people in a Hubei village and one in Hunan.

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China’s National Meteorological Centre identified a slow-moving system that drew moisture from the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, creating a rain band over more than 1,000 km. The system produced record rainfall in Yichang, Hubei, breaking a 36-year high. Forecasts expect the system to move eastward and southward over the next two to three days, increasing the risk of mountain torrents, river flooding and urban waterlogging.

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Tallies show at least ten deaths: six to nine from the Guangxi pickup-truck accident, three from a Hubei flash-flood, and one in Hunan. Authorities evacuated over 7,000 people after a magnitude-5.2 earthquake in Liuzhou, Guangxi, and moved roughly 4,000 residents to 99 shelters. Relief supplies total 15,000 items for flood and earthquake aid. Sources disagree on the death toll, citing six or nine fatalities in the Guangxi incident, and report total casualties ranging from nine to ten.

Reuters

Local authorities suspended work, business activities and outdoor classes, and Jingzhou declared an emergency response. The National Meteorological Centre warned of rising mountain torrents, river flooding and urban waterlogging as the rain moves eastward and southward. Rescue teams were deployed, 99 shelters opened, and 15,000 relief items distributed. Officials stressed ongoing monitoring and preparedness as the system advances.

Reuters

• “HONG KONG, May 19 (Reuters) - Torrential rain across southern and central China triggered widespread flooding on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people, closing schools and businesses, and disrupting transport and power supplies, authorities said.” — Reuters report

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• “HEAVY RAIN EXPECTED ALONG YANGTZE RIVER The unusually large area of intense rainfall - spanning more than 1,000 km (621 miles) - was due to the convergence of abundant moisture from the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.” — China’s weather agency

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• “The passengers were returning from planting sweet potatoes on Saturday and the truck fell into the river while crossing a bridge whose deck was submerged by rising water levels, CCTV previously reported.” — CCTV

Reuters

• “Daily rainfall in Yichang, also in Hubei, broke a 36-year record over the weekend, the Hubei Daily said.” — Hubei Daily

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