Heavy rain falls in Guangxi province, southern China

Heavy rains lashed several cities in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region over the weekend, causing severe flooding and disrupting traffic, officials said.

From the morning of May 18 to the morning of May 19, the central, northern and coastal areas of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region all recorded heavy rain, especially in the cities of Qinzhou, Fangchenggang and Nanning. As of the morning of May 19, Longmengang Town of Qinzhou City recorded 189.6 mm of rainfall in 1 hour, surpassing Guangxi's record high hourly rainfall.

The local meteorological agency in Guangxi issued a red alert for heavy rainfall in the early morning of May 19. Many residents and vehicles were stranded by waist-deep water in the capital Nanning.

Flooding in Qingyuan, Guangdong Province, China on April 21, 2024. Photo: THX/TTXVN

By the afternoon of May 19, heavy rains had forced the evacuation of about 280 people in Nanning. Local authorities had dispatched nearly 3,000 emergency personnel, nearly 570 vehicles, and 105 pumps for flood control and disaster relief. According to the Nanning Railway Company, more than 30 passenger trains were suspended from May 18 to the morning of May 20 due to heavy rains.

Heavy rain is forecast to hit eastern and coastal areas of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the next 24 hours.

* In Afghanistan, the death toll from heavy rains and flash floods in the western province of Ghor and the northern province of Faryab on May 17 and 18 has risen to more than 120.

According to a spokesman for the Faryab provincial government, severe flooding occurred in several districts on the evening of May 18, causing loss of life and property. At least 66 people were killed, five injured and many missing in the province. The floods also damaged more than 1,500 houses, submerged more than 400 hectares of crops and killed hundreds of livestock.

Meanwhile, the death toll from two days of flooding in Ghor province has risen to 55. The new disaster follows floods on May 10 in Baghlan province, northern Afghanistan, which left more than 300 people dead and missing.

According to experts, the floods were caused by continuous heavy rains after a prolonged drought in Afghanistan. From mid-April to early May, flash floods and other floods killed about 100 people in 10 provinces of Afghanistan. Large areas of agricultural land were submerged, while more than 80% of Afghanistan's more than 40 million people depend on agriculture. Afghanistan is also one of the poorest countries in the world after 4 decades of war.

According to VNA/Tin Tuc Newspaper

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