7 dead, 3 missing after heavy rain in Guangxi causes landslides

Seven people have died and three are missing after heavy rain in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region led to multiple landslides, according to local authorities.

Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, according to the city's publicity department.

Following Typhoon Haikui and monsoon conditions, many regions in Yulin, located in the south of the country, have been awash with heavy rain since Sunday night, which has led to landslides in Fumian district, and Luchuan and Bobai counties, the department said.

Heavy rain has been falling in Yulin since Sunday night, with local authorities issuing a third level alert for flood prevention at 6:30 pm that day. The alert was raised to its highest level from 9 am on Monday.

Eleven meteorological stations in Yulin recorded accumulative precipitation surpassing 400 millimeters from 8 am on Saturday to 10 am on Monday, and 55 stations recorded downpours of more than 250 mm during the period.

The water level of several rivers in Yulin went up by as much as two to six meters, and multiple roads in the city have been damaged.

Liang Guanlong, a firefighter in Yulin, said the department had handled 51 reports of flooding as of 8 am on Tuesday.

A total of 504 firefighters have participated in rescue efforts so far, with 107 people rescued and another 196 people transferred to safety, he said.

According to Guangxi Daily, the region issued a yellow alert for rainstorms on Monday with heavy downpours expected to continue to lash parts of the region. Guangxi also elevated the alert for major meteorological disaster from level IV to level II, the second highest alert.

Yulin Party secretary Wang Chen and mayor Zhang Huiqiang held a meeting on Monday night, and called for the utmost efforts to safeguard the safety of people's lives and property.

They also called for coordination in search and rescue efforts among departments, staying on high alert for geological disasters, and an around the clock warning for flood control.

Qinzhou, Beihai and Fangchenggang are expecting more heavy rain on Tuesday. The accumulative rainfall precipitation in southern Guangxi and seaside regions from Monday to Wednesday is expected to reach between 80 to 150 mm, with some parts expecting more than 400 mm.