Flooding in southern China kills 39 as heavy rains pound Guangxi

Deadly flooding in Guangxi

Flooding from several days of heavy rain in southern China has killed 39 people, the Associated Press reported, as emergency crews continued searching for nine people still missing in the hardest-hit parts of Guangxi.

About 130,000 residents have been evacuated, according to AP, underscoring the scale of the disaster across a region that has faced repeated severe weather during the rainy season.

Rescue workers have freed more than 10,000 trapped students and teachers, AP said, as floodwaters cut off communities and forced large-scale emergency operations.

The worst damage has centered on Guangxi, including Hengzhou, where AP reported that a reservoir dam partially collapsed. Floodwaters also breached reservoirs and damaged infrastructure across the region, making recovery work more difficult and raising concern about further inundation if rain continues.

Rescue efforts and rainfall risk

The flooding followed days of intense rain in southern China linked in the reporting to Tropical Storm Maysak. Coverage on the same day said more rain was forecast even as floodwaters began to recede, leaving local authorities with the immediate challenge of continuing rescues while monitoring for renewed flooding.

Earlier reporting on the same flooding episode carried lower death tolls before the broader AP figure was confirmed. The latest AP report is the most detailed account so far of the death toll, the number of missing people and the scale of evacuations.

Residents in flood-hit counties have faced damage to roads, power, water and transport systems. Officials have not released a final estimate of the losses, and the number of missing people could still change as rescue work continues.

Secondary hazards

The flooding also created a separate public-health problem in Hengzhou, where The Guardian reported that venomous snakes escaped from breeding farms after floodwaters hit the area. That added an unusual risk to communities already dealing with inundation and displacement.

The Guardian said authorities responded by setting up emergency treatment and increasing anti-venom supplies. People reported that local authorities deployed a team to recapture snakes and warned residents not to try to catch them themselves.

The situation remains fluid. If additional rain arrives, officials may face new evacuations, further reservoir problems and a longer recovery period for displaced residents and emergency workers.