Thousands evacuated in Southeast China, after torrential rains pounded the region over the weekend, triggering floods and deadly landslides, CNN reports.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, more than 35,000 people were evacuated on Saturday. As of Monday morning, more than 10,000 people had been evacuated from Meizhou, the worst-hit city in Guangdong province by floods.
More than 130,000 households in the city and suburbs were without power this morning while classes were suspended, CCTV reported. According to them, "authorities are still trying to reach some towns and villages" in the area.
Seventeen waterways in the main basin of the Han River are flooded "above the alert level", including two rivers with record flood levels, according to the Ministry of Water Resources on Monday.
In Fujian province, four people have died after a series of landslides in the coastal province, according to the local disaster warning center.
In addition, Shanghan County in southwestern Fujian recorded a record rainfall of 375 millimeters in the past 24 hours, accounting for 18 percent of the average annual rainfall, the provincial meteorological office said in a statement from today.
As a reminder, China continues to struggle with extreme weather conditions this month as torrential rains inundate southern parts and severe drought and record temperatures intensify in the north.
In April, severe flooding inundated parts of Guangdong after heavy rain for several days.
Guangdong province, an economic powerhouse for the region with a population of 127 million people, is among the parts of southern China at risk of annual flooding between April and September. In recent years, the region has faced more intense rainstorms and severe flooding. The climate crisis is believed to intensify extreme weather, making disasters more deadly and more frequent.