BEIJING – Ten people are dead and 33 missing after flash floods and mudslides in north-west China\u2019s Gansu province, state media reported on Aug 8, the latest in a series of lethal weather events to hit the country.<\/p>\n
Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat.<\/p>\n
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered \u201cutmost effort\u201d in rescuing the missing people on Aug 8, CCTV said.<\/p>\n
Due to the \u201cfrequent occurrence of extreme weather\u201d, Mr Xi ordered all regions to \u201cresolutely overcome complacency\u201d and strengthen efforts to identify risks, the broadcaster added.<\/p>\n
From Aug 7, \u201ccontinuous heavy rain\u201d in Gansu triggered flash floods, with the death toll on the afternoon of Aug 8 standing at 10, CCTV said.<\/p>\n
Local authorities had issued the highest-level emergency warning for flash floods overnight.<\/p>\n
A video shared by the Communist Party-backed People\u2019s Daily showed more than a dozen rescuers clinging to a rope as they pushed through torrents of mud, while photos posted by Gansu\u2019s government showed roads covered in silt and large stones.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, CCTV reported that heavy rains trapped 4,000 people living in the mountainous Xinglong area and pushed garbage onto roads.<\/p>\n
Three people were missing after a mudslide in Maliantan village, it added.<\/p>\n
Footage shared by Chinese fire authorities on Weibo showed rescuers in Maliantan guiding people through rushing grey water.<\/p>\n
Beijing\u2019s top economic planner said it was allocating 100 million yuan (S$17.9 million) towards disaster relief in Gansu.<\/p>\n
Local weather authorities at midday on Aug 8 predicted more rain in some areas, including near the Yellow River \u2013 China\u2019s second-biggest waterway.<\/p>\n
The country\u2019s south has also experienced torrential downpours this week.<\/p>\n
CCTV reported on Aug 8 that all seven people missing after a landslide in Guangdong province had been killed.<\/p>\n
Ten of thousands of people were evacuated across Guangdong this week, with heavy rains flooding residential neighbourhoods and shops.<\/p>\n
The government has also allocated 100 million yuan toward recovery efforts there, the National Development and Reform Commission said.<\/p>\n
Heavy rains in northern Beijing killed 44 people last month, with the capital\u2019s rural suburbs hit the hardest.<\/p>\n
A landslide in a village in Hebei province, which encircles Beijing, killed another eight people.<\/p>\n
Scientists warn the intensity and frequency of global extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up because of fossil fuel emissions.<\/p>\n