Floods triggered by rounds of torrential rains have left 39 people dead and nine others missing in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Chinese authorities said on Thursday. The death toll includes the casualties resulting from a severe reservoir breach in the regional capital city of Nanning, according to a flood control and disaster relief press conference held at noon on Thursday.
On Tuesday, authorities upgraded the emergency flood response for northeast China's Jilin Province from Level IV to Level III, as heavy rainfall triggered severe flooding in this region, reports Xinhua news agency. Under the impact of Typhoon Bavi, persistent heavy rain has lashed Jilin, causing the Jilin section of the Songhua River to report its No. 1 flood of 2026.
The Meihe River, a tributary of the Huifa River, has experienced its largest flood since hydrological records began. The entire Huifa River is expected to rise above warning levels, while risks remain high for river flooding, mountain torrents, geological disasters, emergencies at small and medium-sized reservoirs, and urban waterlogging.
The flood control situation remains grave and complex. Meanwhile, China's Ministry of Water Resources on Tuesday announced that from Tuesday to Friday, moderate to heavy rain is forecast in eastern parts of northwest China, with rainstorms or heavy downpours expected in parts of central Shaanxi Province and central and southern Shanxi Province.
Water levels are expected to rise in parts of the middle reaches of the Yellow River and several of its tributaries, including the Weihe, Fenhe and Qinhe rivers, while some small and medium-sized rivers in rain-hit areas may see floods exceeding warning levels.
The ministry has urged water resources authorities in Shanxi and Shaanxi, and relevant river basin management agencies, to strengthen monitoring, forecasting and early warnings, ensure the safety of reservoirs and silt dams, and intensify prevention endeavours against floods in small and medium-sized rivers and mountain torrents.