More than 200 evacuated as torrential rain triggers flooding in southern China

Beijing: More than 200 residents have been evacuated after torrential rain caused severe flooding in the southern Chinese city of Qinzhou, state media reported on Tuesday.

According to Xinhua News Agency, rescue teams used inflatable boats to evacuate people trapped in their homes, as floodwaters submerged streets and vehicles. Footage released by the agency showed emergency workers wading through chest-high water, while firefighters carried elderly residents to safety.

Local authorities said the city recorded more than 270 millimetres of rainfall in the 24 hours leading up to 8am on Monday, the highest daily total ever recorded in April.

Visuals of the flooding

Meteorological analyst Lin Nan said such intense rainfall is unusual for this time of year. In a post on WeChat, Lin noted that heavy downpours of this scale in southern coastal regions typically occur only after the arrival of the summer monsoon in mid to late May, making the late-April deluge particularly rare.

Despite the disruption, conditions appeared to improve by Tuesday morning. Schools in Qinzhou resumed classes, and traffic returned to normal in most parts of the city, according to a report by a media outlet affiliated with China’s emergency management authorities.