China: 6 dead, 11 missing after torrential rains hit Guangxi
Beijing, July 7 (IANS) Six people are dead, and 11 others are missing as of Tuesday evening after torrential rains triggered flooding in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities reported.
The torrential rains caused by Typhoon Maysak have affected 375,000 people across Guangxi, and a total of 130,000 people have been evacuated from the affected areas, according to officials at a media conference, Xinhua news agency reported,
Rescue operation is underway in Guangxi, with more than 8,000 people, over 1,700 vehicles and 5,700 boats deployed for search and rescue, as well as hazard removal.
Parts of the region are forecast to receive heavy rains for the next three days. At present, 341 reservoirs in the region are above their flood-limit water levels, and 56 monitoring stations on 41 rivers in Guangxi are reporting water levels above warning thresholds.
Local authorities said they will continue to strengthen early warnings, resident relocation, and post-disaster recovery.
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region upgraded its flood alert to the highest-level red warning at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, soon followed by another flood red alert issued by its neighboring Guangdong Province.
By 7:00 a.m., water levels at 70 monitoring stations on 55 rivers in Guangxi remained between 0.01 and 7.46 meters above warning levels, according to the regional hydrology center, which also warned that elevated water levels would persist in several river sections over the next 24 hours.
China has a four-tier emergency response system, with level I being the most severe.
China has allocated more than 36,000 additional disaster relief items to south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Ministry of Emergency Management said Tuesday.
The items, including woven bags and rubber boats, were jointly allocated by the office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.
–IANS
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