Record-breaking floods hit China’s Guangdong, killing 4 and displacing more than 110,000

Water levels in the Bei River, a tributary of the Pearl River, exceed 50-year highs, while cumulative rainfall hits record for April in several areas
Ten are missing in hard-hit cities of Qingyuan and Shaoguan as rescuers race to save trapped residents

Accidents, extreme weather and disasters in China

Hayley Wongin Beijing

Published: 2:44pm, 22 Apr 2024

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Record-breaking flooding in south China’s Guangdong province since Friday has killed at least four and disrupted the lives of at least 110,000 people living along a major river.

Three died during heavy downpours in Zhaoqing city while another died during a rescue mission in Shaoguan city, state-run news agency Xinhua reported on Monday.

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China issues flood warning for ‘once in 50 years’ water levels in Guangdong’s Bei River

Ten were missing in the cities of Shaoguan and Qingyuan and over 110,000 residents have been moved from affected areas.

Helicopters and rubber boats have been deployed as floods hit central-northern areas along the Bei River, a southern tributary of the Pearl River, which flows from Shaoguan to the Pearl River Delta.

The Bei River’s water levels were confirmed to have exceeded 50-year highs at Feilaixia reservoir in Qingyuan on Monday, according to Xinhua. Water flow to the Feilaixia hydropower plant approached 100-year highs.

Provincial authorities earlier warned that the river’s water levels were expected to hit “once in a century” levels, but they later lowered their predictions.

Rescuers were sent to relocate trapped residents in Shaoguan and transport food and other materials, according to Guangzhou-based news site dayoo.com, owned by Guangzhou Daily.

Shaoguan, located in the north of the province, on Monday downgraded the city’s flood emergency response warning to level three in a four-tier alert system in which level one is the most severe.

More than 300 emergency personnel were deployed on Saturday to rescue trapped residents in six villages in the town of Jiangwan, where roads were cut off by landslides. At least six people in the villages were injured, according to online news site The Paper.

Mobile phone and internet services were restored in the town on Sunday after the landslide disrupted telecoms cables.

In central Guangdong’s Qingyuan city, water levels in some areas reached the first floor of buildings on Sunday morning and flooded homes and shops. As of 4pm on Sunday, more than 60,000 residents had been transferred from affected areas, according to Xinhua.

Some schools in heavily affected areas of Qingyuan were suspended on Monday.

Average rainfall across Guangdong totalled 121.8mm (4.8 inches) from Friday 10am to Sunday 11am, according to the provincial department of water resources.

China Meteorological Administration predicted heavy downpours to continue until Tuesday, with 100mm to 170mm of rainfall in 24 hours in some areas of southeastern Guangdong from Monday afternoon.

Cumulative rainfall has broken records for April in the cities of Guangzhou, Shaoguan and Lechang as well as the counties of Lechang and Shixing, according to regional newspapers Guangzhou Daily and Nanfang Daily.

China issues ‘once in a century’ flood warning for Guangdong’s Bei River zone

The rain also affected rail services, with more than 300 trains returning or being suspended between Friday and Sunday, according to the China Railway Guangzhou Group. All trains were operating again as of Monday.

Provincial party secretary Huang Kunming and governor Wang Weizhong on Sunday visited Shaoguan city and held meetings with regional emergency management offices, Nanfang Daily reported.

They also visited the city’s Mengzhou dam along the Bei River and a primary school in Longgui town where residents have been staying since flooding hit their homes.

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