Tragic Consequences: Heavy Rainfall Spurs Evacuations And Fatal Mudslide in China’s Southwest

(CTN NEWS) – State media reported on Saturday that tens of thousands of individuals had to be relocated from their residences in the southwestern region of China due to heavy rainfall triggering slope collapses.

Concurrently, a mudslide in the western part of the country resulted in two casualties and 16 individuals being unaccounted for.

In a separate development, a fierce storm battered northeastern China, resulting in the cancellation of at least 20 train services and the breach of a river dam.

China’s Severe Weather Impact: Torrential Rains, Fatal Mudslide, and Ongoing Rescue Efforts

Annually, certain regions of China experience torrential rains and flooding; however, this year’s impact has been notably severe in specific areas, exacerbating agricultural damage caused by ongoing drought conditions elsewhere.

Following a fatal mudslide on the outskirts of Xi’an that claimed the lives of no less than two people on Friday, rescue operations were launched to locate any survivors.

The incident led to significant disruptions in electrical grids, bridges, and road networks, as per Xinhua’s report.

According to the China News Service, approximately 81,000 residents were evacuated from high-risk zones in the Sichuan province of the southwest. While incidents of traffic disruption and slope collapses were documented, no reports of casualties or injuries were recorded.

Meanwhile, the city of Changchun in the northeastern region and the surrounding Jilin province were forecasted to receive heavy rainfall of up to 40 millimeters (1 1/2 inches) per hour due to the remnants of Storm Khanun, which had been downgraded from a typhoon.

Efforts to Mend River Dike Breach Amidst Challenging Conditions in Jilin City

As per state television reports, a 300-foot-long (90 meters) breach in a river dike located in the Jilin city of Fuyu was under repair on Friday night by a 500-member military construction brigade.

Despite the darkness, they diligently worked to close the gap by stacking hundreds of sandbags and inserting steel rods into the ground.

Official TV sources indicated that over 20 train services were canceled in Shenyang, the largest city in the northeastern region, along with the nearby Liaoning province.

In Liaoning’s port city of Dalian, where Xinhua reported anticipated wind speeds of up to 88 kph (55 mph), preparations were being made for potentially severe conditions.

Xinhua also conveyed that six rivers and reservoirs in Heilongjiang province and the northeast had surpassed alert thresholds, raising concerns about water levels.

Before its subsequent weakening over the Korean Peninsula and eventual movement towards China, Khanun had previously swept through portions of Japan as a typhoon.

July Toll: 142 Lives Lost in Landslides, Flooding, and Torrential Events Across China

The Ministry of Emergency Management reported that a total of 142 individuals lost their lives across the country in July due to occurrences of landslides, mountain torrents, and flooding.

Government sources revealed that the previous week witnessed the most extensive rainfall observed in over 140 years in the capital city of Beijing and the adjoining Hebei province.

On Friday, the Hebei government revised the death toll from the floods triggered by Typhoon Doksuri this month to a minimum of 29 casualties.

During this week, Beijing’s officially recorded count of flood-related fatalities rose to 33. The authorities estimated that a complete restoration of power and other essential services could potentially take up to three years.

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