| Translate This News In |
|---|
According to reports from state media on Thursday, a heavy downpour that sparked mudslides and caused a river to alter channel resulted in flash floods that left 16 people dead and others missing in northwest China. More than 6,200 people from six villages were affected by the floods, which happened in a hilly area of Datong county in Qinghai province, according to state broadcaster CCTV. In addition, CCTV reported that rescue efforts were still continuing and that as of midday on April 18, 16 people had died and 36 were missing.
The flood occurs during a summer in China marked by extraordinary temperatures, with some cities recording their warmest days ever. State media released a video stream of the destruction, which showed mud-covered highways, uprooted trees, damaged residences, and rescue personnel holding shovels. According to a claim in the state media, a “frontline headquarters” has been established to coordinate the emergency response.
The scenario had been brought on by sudden, heavy rain on Wednesday night, the report added, adding that “the rescue work is going in an orderly manner.”
Unusual weather
According to scientists, global climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme weather, which is expected to continue as temperatures rise.
In June, severe floods in southern China forced more than 500,000 people to flee their homes and cost an estimated $250 million in damage.
Chinese authorities issued a warning on Wednesday that the country’s northern areas, including the capital Beijing and its neighbouring cities of Tianjin and Hebei, were also anticipated to see heavy rainfall.
President Xi Jinping requested earlier this week that Liaoning province officials “protect the safety of people’s lives in flood control,” according to state media.
In the meantime, rolling power outages are affecting millions of people in southwest China after a brutal heatwave caused a shortage of electricity that prompted enterprises to close.
The province of Sichuan depends largely on dams to produce its electricity, but the heat has caused reservoirs to dry up, escalating the energy crisis.
According to provincial energy officials quoted by the state news agency Xinhua, Sichuan’s major rivers have seen a 20–50% decrease in water volume due to the lack of rain, which has had a significant impact on hydropower production.
According to the China Meteorological Administration, 64 consecutive days of heat warnings have been issued in various regions since June, marking the country’s longest stretch of continuously high temperatures since records began in 1961.
The administration reported that more than a third of meteorological stations in China registered excessive heat this summer, with 262 of them breaking or exceeding prior records.
