110,000 people have been evacuated in southeastern China's Guangdong province after prolonged rains caused widespread flooding. According to information from state media, four people died and another 10 went missing as a result of the natural disaster.
Video footage from the region showed large areas flooded and rescuers carrying people in boats through waist-deep water. Local authorities point to extremely high water levels and are constantly monitoring the situation.
On Monday, rescue teams worked to evacuate residents, including the elderly, from flooded areas. Emergency crews by boat have been crossing hard-to-reach areas in this densely populated province of 127 million people.
Most of Guangdong Province is located in the low-lying Pearl River Delta, which is often subject to flooding due to rising sea levels and storms. Heavy rains and storms have hit the region since Thursday, causing flooding even before the start of the normal summer monsoon season.
The provincial capital of Guangzhou, as well as the smaller cities of Shaoguan and Heyuan, were the most affected. An estimated 1.16 million households were without power over the weekend, but by Sunday evening power had been restored to 80% of customers.
At least 110,000 people have been evacuated, with about 25,800 in temporary shelters.
Incessant rains caused cancellations and delays at Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, and school closures in three cities.
Many homes across the province were either destroyed or severely damaged. The authorities estimated direct economic losses at nearly 140.6 million yuan (about $19.8 million).
Videos that appeared on the Internet show how strong water currents destroy walls and bridges, as well as sweep cars off the roads.
The China Meteorological Service has warned that heavy rain will continue in Guangdong province and coastal areas of Fujian until next Tuesday. At the same time, other regions of the country, including Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, expect "moderate to heavy" rainfall.
Last July, Beijing and neighboring provinces such as Hebei faced severe flooding due to rains and floods triggered by typhoons from the Pacific Ocean.
At that time, the heaviest rainfall in the last 140 years was recorded in Beijing.
