Thousands evacuated from massive floods in China

Authorities in China have evacuated over 60,000 people from their houses in Guangdong after days of torrential rain created major flooding in the country’s most populated province.

Eleven persons have gone missing, with no casualties reported thus far.

Several major rivers have burst their banks, and authorities are closely monitoring “dangerously high” water levels.

They had warned that the level of a river in Northern Guangdong could hit a “once in 100 years” peak on Monday morning, though this had yet to materialise by noon.

Much of Guangdong is part of the low-lying Pearl River delta, which is prone to floods due to watershed floods, sea level rise, and storm surges.

The delta is a major manufacturing base in China and one of the country’s most densely-populated regions, with Guangdong alone home to around 127 million people.

The provincial capital, Guangzhou, as well as the smaller cities of Shaoguan and Heyuan, were among the hardest hit.

Over the weekend, around 1.16 million households in the province lost power, but 80% of them had it restored by Sunday night.

Due to the constant rain, flights at Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou were cancelled and delayed, while schools in at least three locations were ordered to close.

Dozens of residences in the province have either collapsed or been seriously damaged, with officials estimating a direct economic loss of almost 140.6 million yuan ($19.8 million).

China’s meteorological authorities have warned that heavy rains will continue in Guangdong and coastal areas of neighbouring Fujian until at least Tuesday.

That week, the Chinese capital experienced the most rainfall in 140 years.