As heavy rain and flooding hit central China’s Hunan province, seven people died and three were reported missing according to the media reports.
China is experiencing hot weather, with heavy rains battering swathes of the country and many regions enduring sweltering heat waves. The country is the world’s largest emitter of the greenhouse gases that scientists say drive climate change and make extreme weather more intense.
Three people missing since last Wednesday were confirmed dead after a landslide in Hunan’s Yongxing county. Four more were killed and three remain missing in Zixing, where more than 11,000 people were evacuated after the city experienced record rainfall some areas receiving 645 millimetres (25 inches) in just 24 hours, according to the media reports.
The rains destroyed over 900 homes and caused 1,345 road collapses. Around 5,400 rescuers have been dispatched to help those affected. The downpours have been caused by the remnants of Typhoon Gaemi, which made landfall in eastern China on Thursday, with particularly hitting Hunan.
A landslide destroyed a guesthouse on Sunday and killed at least 15 people, while 4,000 residents were evacuated elsewhere in the province after a dam breach.
The China’s National Meteorological Centre issued an orange alert, the second highest level, for rainstorms across much of the south, southwest, and centre of the country, as well as the capital Beijing, Hebei province, and Tianjin in the north.
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