17 killed as deadly storms buffet China; over 130,000 evacuated

China is grappling with the aftermath of severe storms that have claimed 17 lives, injured hundreds, and forced the evacuation of over 130,000 people. The southern Guangxi region has borne the brunt of the devastation, experiencing intense rainfall and flooding linked to Typhoon Maysak. Dramatic footage shared by state broadcaster CCTV captured a torrent of muddy water surging past the remains of a reservoir dam that had collapsed in the region.

Rescue workers have been seen navigating inflatable boats through flooded streets in Guangxi, searching for the missing. Authorities have established emergency shelters for displaced residents. The flooding has overwhelmed 40 rivers and waterways in the region. Viral social media videos showed villagers wading through knee-deep floodwaters, with one clip featuring snakes swimming through a submerged town after a breeding farm was washed away.

Meanwhile, central China's Hubei province experienced thunderstorms and gale-force winds, which killed 11 people and injured 331. Thousands of houses were damaged, with 22 collapsing entirely. In one harrowing account, a man surnamed Wang described how his brother-in-law was "sucked out" of his Hubei apartment by the powerful winds and found barely conscious outside.

President Xi Jinping has urged rescuers to "go all out" in their emergency operations as the nation confronts these multiple natural disasters. The Minister of Water Resources warned that flood peaks exceeding warning levels by more than six meters are expected in Guangxi, posing a severe test to the safety of reservoirs and embankments in the affected areas.

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Wall cabinets, sofas, coffee tables, dining tables and chairs vanished in an instant. It was as if the entire building had been hollowed out.