Guangdong rescuers build human ladder to save elderly in Guangxi floods

Two rescuers from Guangdong province have recently become heroes in Qinzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, after they spent five hours in floodwaters evacuating several stranded elderly people.

Qiu Yajie and He Wanghua said the floodwater in the village in Qinzhou's Napeng township reached approximately three meters deep, leaving several elderly residents trapped on the second floor in their home with no way to get down.

"When faced with the situation, we had to build a human ladder to evacuate them down gradually," Qiu told local media.

According to Qiu, the residents hadn't evacuated on time because they thought the floodwaters would recede quickly. "Persuading the seniors was no easy task, as they were deeply concerned about their household assets," he said.

As for the other villagers who chose to stay in their homes, Qiu's partner He said that local authorities would deploy drones to deliver supplies as needed.

Qiu and He are members of the petrochemical team of the national hazardous chemicals emergency rescue force from Maoming, Guangdong. They and other rescuers had arrived in Napeng town at 7 am on Wednesday.

The coastal city of Qinzhou and nearby areas in Guangxi have experienced severe flooding in the past week as a result of Typhoon Maysak.