Historic floods in China kill 47, authorities warn of extreme weather

At least 47 people have died as downpours in southern China’s Guangdong province caused historic flooding and slides, state media reported, while authorities warned of more extreme weather ahead in other parts of the country.

State broadcaster CCTV said that another 38 people were confirmed dead in a county under the jurisdiction of Meizhou city, adding to nine others previously reported dead elsewhere in Meizhou.

Heavy rains caused landslides, floods and mudslides that severely damaged eight townships in Pingyuan county, where the latest deaths were reported, CCTV said. The heaviest rains were on Sunday, with an average rainfall of 199 millimeter (7.83 inches), and one town seeing 365.7 mm (14.4 inches). It is unclear from the report when the deaths occurred.

The extreme weather also destroyed some 356 kilometers (221 miles) of road, damaged more than a hundred bridges and flooded farmland.

The estimated direct economic loss is 3.65 billion yuan ($502 million) in Jiaoling county, while in Meixian district, the loss is 1.06 billion yuan ($146 million).

Other parts of the country also face torrential rains and extreme weather in the next 24 hours, with the National Meteorological Center issuing a warning for several provinces in the south and a few individual places in the north.

Henan and Anhui provinces in central China, as well as Jiangsu province on the coast and the southern province of Guizhou, all are expecting hail and strong thunderstorms, according to the forecast. Rainfall could be as high as 50 mm to 80 mm (1.9 to 3.14 inches) in one day in Henan, Anhui and Hubei provinces, the National Meteorological Center said.