At least two people have been killed and 16 others are missing after mudslides and flooding in the northwestern Chinese city of Xian, on Saturday (August 12), reported state broadcaster CCTV. This comes a day after reports that nearly 80 people have been killed across several Chinese provinces, including the capital city of Beijing since storm Doksuri, a former super typhoon, made landfall in southern Fujian province back in July.
According to a report by CCTV, the Chinese city was “affected by short-term local heavy rainfall, at 18:00 (local time) on August 11…there was a sudden mountain flash flood and mudslide.”
It added, “A preliminary inspection showed that, at present, two houses in the village have been washed away and infrastructure including roads, bridges and power supply have been damaged.”
Chinese officials also rescued four people initially trapped by the mudslide, said the state media report, adding that the emergency response and rescue efforts were continuing on Saturday morning as 16 individuals remained missing.
Emergency officials in the city, on Saturday, have also warned that the area might see “multiple rounds” of heavy storms in the near future. “Coupled with continuous rainfall, mountains and soil will be highly saturated, likely leading to secondary disasters such as mountain flash floods and mudslides,” said the Chinese officials, in a statement.
The media report citing officials also warned that the Qinling Mountains in Xian will continue to witness extreme weather conditions which will lead to soil erosion and possibly further mudslides.
Additionally, flash floods also occurred in the village of Weiziping, situated in a narrow ravine two hours south of Xian.
Situation in surrounding regions
According to CCTV, some trains were also suspended in Beijing and the northeastern city of Harbin, on Saturday, due to heavy rain and strong winds.
Meanwhile, torrential rainfall in the southwestern Guangxi region’s city of Nanning also led to flooding and waterlogging prompting local officials to set up cordons to allow drainage work on some roads, reported the Chinese state media, adding that some 3,900 police personnel were deployed to help.
In the northeastern province of Jilin, Chinese officials continued efforts to fortify a 300-foot breach in a river levee to protect 29 downstream villages, reported CCTV. Around 500 officers and soldiers, 62 vehicles and three construction machines have been dispatched to seal the breach, according to the media report.
The official Xinhua News Agency, on Saturday, reported that more than 40 people were rescued in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region after a flash flood swept away a road, trapping a number of people, on Thursday.
(With inputs from agencies)
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