Military personnel rescue mother, 11-month-old baby from flooded Guangxi home

A mother and her 11-month-old child have been rescued from a flooded home in Hengzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, after heavy rain brought by Typhoon Maysak cut off water, power and communications.

Sustained downpours since Monday had caused the Liulan and Yunbiao reservoirs to overflow and develop breaches, sending floodwaters into nearby villages. Homes and farmland were inundated, and emergency evacuations began.

On Tuesday, the Nanning detachment of the Guangxi Armed Police Force received a distress message from Su Hanshen, the child's grandmother, urging the team to help her family. Six of her relatives were still trapped, two of whom were children. Floodwater had reached the second floor, forcing them to retreat to the third. They had not eaten for a day.

After receiving the request, the officers set out by assault boat. A local villager was brought on board to guide the rescuers, as roads, fields, and buildings had been submerged, making the exact location difficult to identify.

At around 11 am on Tuesday, the boat entered the flooded village in heavy rain. The rescuers found the house after more than an hour of searching. Among the family were Su's daughter, Xie Jinyu, and her infant child. The two became the first members of the family to be evacuated.

Officers wrapped the 11-month-old baby in a life jacket and carried the child onto the boat before bringing Xie to safety. They were later reunited with Su at a shelter, where the baby was given milk powder and Xie received a hot meal.

"We had not eaten for a day and a night," Xie said. "There was no electricity at home. Among six mobile phones in the family, only grandfather's still had power."

Xie said many people nearby were still trapped at home and needed water and food, though she did not know of anyone requiring urgent medical treatment.

"They searched for a long time and never gave up," Su said. "I am very grateful to the armed police rescue team."

Rescue operations are still underway in the affected areas.