Typhoon Saudel triggers deadly Jiangxi disasters

Rescue and recovery efforts remained in full swing on Sunday after a mudslide killed three people and left nine missing in one village, while landslides in another village in Suichuan county, Jiangxi province, killed one person and left another missing.

The mudslide occurred around 4 am on Saturday in Mingkeng village, triggered by days of torrential rain brought on by Typhoon Saudel, the 18th typhoon of the year. Three people were killed and nine remained missing by Sunday evening.

A preliminary inspection found that 12 houses had been damaged, including eight that were completely destroyed, said Hu Wenfeng, deputy head of Suichuan county, at a news briefing on Saturday night.

By 10 pm on Saturday, 641 rescuers had descended on the site to carry out search and rescue operations and evacuated 39 residents to safety. According to Hu, road access was largely restored in the village, with communication reestablished. Local authorities had also ensured residents had access to water, electricity, food and accommodation, Hu added.

However, multiple landslides triggered by the severe weather blocked roads leading from the Suichuan county seat to Mingkeng village, hampering rescue efforts. Rescue teams had previously been unable to reach the disaster area. After continuous road-clearing and repair work, an emergency access route was reopened at around 2 am on Sunday.

The fourth fatality was confirmed amid landslides in Yangfen village in Suichuan by local authorities on Sunday. One person remained missing.

Typhoon Saudel made its third landfall in Zhangpu county, Fujian province, on Thursday morning, bringing persistent heavy rain to parts of southern and eastern China.

According to Jiangxi's emergency management authorities, by 4 pm on Sunday, Saudel had affected 250,300 people in 10 cities and 62 county-level areas across the province, causing direct economic losses of 452 million yuan ($67.3 million). A total of 8,350 people were evacuated as a precaution, while another 14,600 had been relocated and resettled.

The National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Emergency Management retained a Level IV emergency response for natural disaster relief in Jiangxi by 4 pm on Sunday. The Ministry of Natural Resources maintained a Level III response for geological disasters in the province.

In neighboring Hunan province, prolonged rainfall also triggered landslides and mudslides in several townships in Guidong county, Chenzhou, according to Xinhua News Agency on Saturday.

The rainfall had affected 10,703 people, leaving two dead and one injured, the report said.

Heavy rain had persisted in Guidong since the evening of Aug 28. Rainfall at eight monitoring stations in the county exceeded historical records, with one station recording cumulative rainfall of 925.3 millimeters, surpassing the previous provincial record for a single rainfall event, according to the report.

Fujian province was also hit by exceptionally heavy rain brought by Saudel. According to an article published on the official WeChat account of the Fujian meteorological administration, daily rainfall totals in several areas exceeded historical records, with Donghai township in Chengxiang district, Putian, recording a maximum cumulative rainfall of 1,480.3 mm during the event.

"The overall intensity was unprecedented," said Wu Qishu, chief forecaster of the Fujian meteorological administration.

An assessment of the event found that its overall intensity was the highest recorded since 1961.

Wu attributed the extreme rainfall to a combination of factors, including the influence of multiple weather systems, sustained moisture transport, the repeated passage of rain bands in a "train-like" pattern, overlapping areas of torrential rain and the influence of coastal terrain.

Zhang Yi contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at huqing@chinadaily.com.cn