Heavy rainfall caused floods and landslides in southern China. Several people were injured and at least 11 people were missing. Tens of thousands of residents had to evacuate.
Heavy rain since Thursday affected Guangdong province, the richest and most populous in the People's Republic of China, inhabited by 127 million people. The downpours caused landslides in mountainous areas. According to state television CCTV, six people were injured and several were trapped near the city of Jiangwan in northern Guangdong.
The Xinhua news agency reported that at least 11 people were missing after heavy rainfall.
More than 53,000 people had to be relocated. The evacuations mainly affected residents of Qingyuan, a city located about 60 kilometers from the provincial capital, Guangzhou.
Risk of “flood of the century”
Local meteorological officials said on Sunday that some river sections in the basins of the province's main streams, Xi Jiang and Bei Jiang, have recorded water levels that are statistically likely to occur once every 50 years.
Local authorities say that due to the swollen rivers there is a risk of the “flood of the century”.
More than 2,600 hydrological stations in the province, representing almost 60 percent, recorded daily rainfall in 24 hours exceeding 50 liters of rain per square meter, with even more falling in some places.
There was flooding in Guangdong provincePAP/EPA/XINHUA/Huang Guobao
Heavy rainfall in southern China is not unusual, but experts believe that climate change caused by greenhouse gases emitted by humans is causing the intensification and more frequent occurrence of extreme weather phenomena – reminded AFP.
PAP, Reuters, tvnmeteo.pl
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/XINHUA/Huang Guobao