At least 21 people died as heavy downpours struck central China’s Hubei province, authorities said on Friday, weeks after record floods wreaked havoc and killed hundreds in a neighbouring province.
China has been battered by unprecedented rains in recent months, extreme weather that experts say is increasingly common due to global warming.
In Hubei, torrential rains caused power cuts and landslides, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing the evacuation of nearly 6,000 people, the province’s Emergency Management Bureau said, as reservoirs reach dangerous levels.
“Twenty-one people were killed and four others are missing as heavy rain lashed townships from Wednesday,” state broadcaster Xinhua reported on Friday.
Footage showed families wading in water that had risen to hip level and carrying essentials in plastic bags in Yicheng, which saw a record 480 mm of rain on Thursday. Rescuers carried people to safety on bulldozers.
“We haven’t seen so much rain in 20 or 30 years,” a resident said.
