Torrential rain in China, 25 people died, the ancient phoenix was submerged in flood

Radio CNN quote officials’ reports China Torrential rains over the past several weeks in southern China have killed at least 25 people, affected millions of residents, and caused economic losses of millions of yuan.

In Hunan province alone, 10 people have been killed this month, 3 are still missing, 286,000 people have been evacuated and a total of 1.79 million residents have been affected.

The famous Fenghuang ancient town of Hunan province was engulfed in flash floods in a photo taken on 4-6 – Photo: AP

More than 2,700 houses have collapsed or been severely damaged, and 96,160 hectares of crops destroyed – heavy losses for a province that serves as a major hub for China’s rice production. Direct economic losses are estimated at more than 4 billion yuan ($600 million), according to officials.

Late last month, floods and landslides killed eight people in coastal Fujian province, five in southwestern Yunnan province and two children swept away by floods in Guangxi province.

Chinese authorities are on high alert for this year’s flood season, which began this month, following the deaths of 398 people in devastating floods caused by unprecedented rainfall in central China’s Henan province in the summer. last summer.

Summer flooding is a frequent phenomenon in China, especially in densely populated agricultural areas along the Yangtze River and its tributaries. But scientists have warned the disaster will get worse year by year as climate change is amplifying the disaster.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global warming has made extreme rainfall more intense in eastern Asia, including southern China. The intensity and frequency of extreme rains continue to backfire, making the Earth warmer, and the number of strong tropical cyclones also increasing.

Other parts of China such as Henan, which is not traditionally an area prone to floods, saw “once in a thousand years” rain in some areas in July 2021. .

At that time, the capital of Henan province, Zhengzhou City, accounted for most of the deaths. City officials ignored five consecutive red warnings for torrential rain, not stopping many of their daily activities in time. Floodwaters flooded the tunnels of the city’s subway system, trapping hundreds of passengers and killing 12 of them.

Before this year’s flood season, Chinese authorities warned of a large number of “extreme weather phenomena”. According to China’s National Climate Center, heavy rains are likely to hit the southern and southwestern regions of the country, as well as southern Tibet.