China storms kill 17, rescuers search for survivors as reservoir dam bursts

Rescuers continued to search for survivors in flooded parts of China on Wednesday, as residents began the arduous task of cleaning up their devastated homes. Storms this week have killed 17 people, caused dozens of rivers to overflow, and led to a reservoir dam bursting.

Extreme weather has battered southern and central China, with a super typhoon also expected to hit eastern provinces this weekend. In the Guangxi region, torrential rain and severe flooding from Typhoon Maysak resulted in six deaths and the evacuation of at least 130,000 people. State media reported that fast-flowing muddy water breached the banks of 40 rivers and waterways, damaging nearly 13,000 acres of agricultural land.

“

When faced with these natural disasters, we really feel powerless. But now people from all walks of life and the army are helping us, so we can really feel that sense of unity and strength.

In Liulan village, where a reservoir dam collapsed, floodwaters had receded by Wednesday, leaving streets and houses covered in thick mud. Reporters observed multiple vehicles washed into nearby fields, buried in silt. "When faced with these natural disasters, we really feel powerless," said resident Wu Yuhao. "But now people from all walks of life and the army are helping us, so we can really feel that sense of unity and strength."

“

Coming to the front line feels pretty heavy, emotionally speaking. In the worst-hit areas, people are still calling out for help non-stop, and they need our support.

Rescue teams deployed large drones carrying food and supplies to individuals trapped on the other side of the river, which was still experiencing high and fast water flow from the collapsed reservoir. Chinese authorities dispatched additional disaster relief, including food, raincoats, and rubber boats, to the affected region, according to state news agency Xinhua. Videos previously released by state broadcaster CCTV depicted torrents of water surging past the broken concrete walls of the reservoir dam, while rescue workers in life vests navigated inflatable boats. Volunteers from neighboring towns and villages joined official rescue forces to aid relief efforts.

"Coming to the front line feels pretty heavy, emotionally speaking," volunteer Qin Qiuyu told AFP. "In the worst-hit areas, people are still calling out for help non-stop, and they need our support." A restaurant worker named Huang in nearby Hengzhou reported that "some houses collapsed… and were washed away" by the floods. Around 375,000 people in Guangxi have been affected by the disaster, CCTV reported. Guangxi officials have maintained the second-highest level for flood-control emergency response.

“

some houses collapsed… and were washed away