China flash floods: 16 dead and 36 missing in Qinghai province

Stuti Mishra
·1 min read
File image: China has been witnessing intense rains in some areas and drought in others (AP)
File image: China has been witnessing intense rains in some areas and drought in others (AP)

Sixteen people are dead and 36 others missing after a flash flood hit Qinghai province in western China amid the ongoing torrential rains, according to Chinese media reports.

Heavy and sudden downpours in Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County of Qinghai province started late on Wednesday, causing flooding in the mountains and triggering landslides, according to China‘s state broadcaster CCTV.

The flash floods affected an area with more than 6,000 people and over 1,500 houses, CCTV said.

The local government has sent a rescue team of 2,000 people and more than 160 vehicles for disaster relief.

Emergency authorities described the situation as a “mountain torrent” disaster, which results from heavy squalls in mountainous areas.

China has been hit with a series of climate change-induced extreme weather events with heavy rains leading to flooding of historic scale in some areas along with heatwaves and droughts in others.

More details to follow.