In China, red alert lifted after deadly torrential rains

China has raised Tuesday afternoon a brief red alert was issued over part of the south of the country, where deadly torrential rains led to heavy rains the evacuation of more than 100,000 inhabitants in the most populated province.

Since Thursday, torrential rains have hit the Guangdong province, emblematic of Chinese manufacturing power with its tens of thousands of export-oriented factories and which has some 127 million inhabitants.

Precipitation in recent days has caused rivers to swell to such a level that there are fears of “floods of the century”, authorities have warned.< /p>

On Tuesday, the metropolis of Shenzhen was placed on red alert for several hours, the highest level of risk.

It was finally lifted following a significant improvement in weather conditions in this city of 17.7 million inhabitants, bordering Hong Kong.

Heavy rainfall in southern China is not unusual especially in summer, but earlier in spring.

Already in September, Shenzhen was hit by torrential rains, the heaviest ever recorded since weather records began in 1952, according to state media.

Torrential rains in China © AFP – Nicholas SHEARMAN

The bad weather in recent days has left at least four dead in Guangdong, while 10 people are still missing, according to an official report revised upwards on Monday which has not changed.

In addition, 110,000 inhabitants of the province had to be relocated, according to figures communicated by the official Xinhua news agency.

Part of it was evacuated from Qingyuan, a town located about sixty kilometers from the provincial capital Canton, and crossed by the Bei River, a tributary of the Pearl River Delta.

< p>Elsewhere, bad weather caused landslides in mountainous areas.

– Army to the rescue –

< p>Aerial images of the province show homes surrounded by muddy waters that stretch for kilometers.

Aerial view of floods in Qingyuan, Guangdong province, April 22, 2024 in south China © AFP – STR

Others show a children's playground and street signs submerged in muddy water.

The army was called in reinforcement to clear the damage.

In Foshan, a city located near Guangzhou, a ship hit a bridge, Xinhua news reported on Tuesday, citing local authorities.

This incident, undoubtedly a consequence of the floods according to New China, threw the crew of the boat into the water.

Seven people were rescued but four remain missing, according to the agency.

– Asia pays the high price –< /p>

China has been facing extreme weather conditions in recent months, exacerbated by climate change according to scientists.

Climate change caused by greenhouse gases emitted by man is making extreme weather phenomena more frequent and more intense, according to these scientists.

Floods in Qingyuan, Guangdong province, April 22, 2024 in southern China © AFP – STR

In China, “floods and droughts have increased significantly”, Yin Zhijie, a forecaster from the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources, told state radio, worried about an “intensification of global warming.”

Parts of Guangdong had not experienced such severe flooding at this time of year since 1954, according to radio 'Chinese state.

Asia was “the region in the world most affected by disasters” linked to weather in 2023, the UN said on Tuesday.

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