Floods in South China's Guangxi leave 39 dead, 9 reportedly missing: authorities

NANNING -- Floods triggered by rounds of torrential rains have left 39 people dead and nine reportedly missing in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, local authorities said on Thursday.

The death toll includes casualties resulting from a severe reservoir breach in the regional capital city of Nanning, according to a flood control and disaster relief news conference held at noon on Thursday.

However, officials noted that the death and missing tolls may overlap, as technical identification of some victims is still ongoing.

Following further verification, it was determined that the breach in Liulan Reservoir in Nanning has resulted in 26 deaths, including five unidentified individuals, and seven reported missing cases, stated Ding Wei, vice-mayor of Nanning.

As of 11:00 am on Thursday, Nanning had evacuated and resettled a total of 64,500 residents to safer places. Meanwhile, the city has delivered 100,000 essential items, including clothing, drinking water, food, medicine and power banks, to affected residents.

Over 4,200 personnel have been mobilized for cleanup efforts, while more than 300 specialists have been dispatched to conduct environmental monitoring and disinfection. According to the news conference, no disease outbreaks or public health emergencies have been reported so far.

Regarding infrastructure recovery, communication base stations in disaster-hit city Hengzhou and Binyang county, both under the jurisdiction of Nanning, are now operating at 87.7 percent of regular capacity. Power has been restored to 63,000 households in these two areas, while traffic flow has resumed across several highway sections and major roads.

Nanning will continue its search and rescue operations for missing persons, enhance resettlement services for affected residents and advance post-disaster reconstruction, the news conference noted.