Heavy rains in southern China’s Guangdong province have caused floods and landslides that have killed at least 47 people, according to Chinese authorities.
Meizhou, a city of about 3.8 million people, began experiencing “once-in-a-century” rainfall last week, according to state media. Officials were still working to restore power and water to some residents on Monday, after they said on Sunday that about 9,000 homes were still without power.
Initially, officials reported nine deaths in Meizhou. But the death toll rose sharply on Friday afternoon, with officials reporting 38 new deaths in Pingyuan County under Meizhou. They said two other people were missing, but no further information had been released.
State media said more than 100,000 people had evacuated.
Meizhou was hit by extreme weather this year. In May, 48 people were killed when a nearly 60-foot section of the highway collapsed after days of heavy rain.
Flood-related deaths have also been reported this month in nearby Fujian, Guangxi and Hunan provinces. In Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, police rescued people trapped in waist-deep water on Monday near a major train station, state media reported.
The entire country is preparing for possible weather-related disasters this summer. While southern China has been hit by heavy rains for months, drought warnings have been issued in northern provinces. The capital, Beijing, was under a heat warning last week. Across the world, this year is on track to be the hottest on record.
Chinese authorities have warned that unusually high rainfall could continue until the end of the month, mainly in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
