Search continues for mother and son swept away by Xinjiang floods

A mother and her 11-year-old son remain missing for seven days after being swept away by a flash flood during a family trip along Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region's scenic S101 highway on June 28. 

The family had arrived in Xinjiang on June 27 for a summer road trip. While traveling through Hutubi county, heavy rain triggered a sudden flash flood. The father, who was driving, recalled that the vehicle lost traction on a flooded road and was pushed toward a deep drainage ditch, Chengdu-based media outlet Hongxing News reported on Sunday.  

The mother and son got out of the vehicle to seek safety, but were instantly swept away by the torrent. The father managed to escape afterward.

Search and rescue teams, including local authorities and civilian volunteers, have been searching along the drainage channel and downstream reservoirs. The mother's jeans were found on Thursday about 2 kilometers from a reservoir, but no other traces of the pair have been discovered. The father, who is cooperating with rescuers, said he only wants to find his family and bring them home.

Local police have imposed traffic controls on the affected section of the highway due to ongoing risks of further landslides. Authorities are appealing to the public for dashcam footage from any vehicles that passed through the area at the time of the incident to help trace the victim's path.