Authorities in the southern region of China reported on Thursday that 39 individuals lost their lives due to flooding caused by tropical storm Maysak. Meanwhile, Taiwan and the east coast of China are preparing for another significant storm expected to arrive in the upcoming days. In a news briefing, Ding Wei, the vice mayor of Nanning, disclosed that most of the fatalities were linked to a dam breach east of the city, resulting in 26 deaths. Additionally, nine people are still unaccounted for in the broader Guangxi area.
Maysak unleashed unprecedented rainfall in Guangxi since Saturday, leading to reservoir breaches and trapping residents in their homes for days. Initially, the death toll stood at six individuals. Typhoon Bavi is projected to skirt just north of Taiwan, bringing heavy precipitation to the 23 million inhabitants of the island before making landfall in Zhejiang or Fujian province on Saturday.
Authorities in Taiwan have advised residents to stockpile essentials and brace for potentially the most potent typhoon to hit the island in years. The downpour in southern Guangxi persisted for several days, with precipitation levels ranging from 10 to 40 centimeters in some regions and exceeding 90 centimeters in severely impacted areas, as per the national meteorological center.
The breaches in reservoirs led to the inundation of towns and cities with torrents of water. A substantial relief and rescue effort, involving drones and around 5,700 boats, has been deployed to aid those trapped by the floodwaters. Despite facing challenging currents and debris, rescuers are tirelessly striving to reach affected individuals, with approximately 130,000 people already evacuated from the affected areas.
Although the floodwaters are receding, there are forecasts of additional rainfall in certain regions over the next two days. Response teams have been mobilized to clear mud and debris, as well as disinfect various towns in heavily impacted Hengzhou city, located east of Nanning. Ongoing efforts include road repairs and the restoration of electricity to over 60,000 households, according to Ding.