Guwahati: Typhoon Maysak has triggered widespread flooding and a reservoir breach in China‘s southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, leaving at least two people dead, disrupting normal life across several cities and forcing mass evacuation of residents.
The Liulan Reservoir in Hengzhou, under Nanning city, suffered a major breach on Monday after two sections of its dam collapsed, creating a gap of about 50 metres and sending a massive volume of water downstream. Authorities also reported flooding and breaches at several other reservoirs in Hengzhou and Binyang county, prompting emergency rescue and evacuation operations.
Officials raised the flood emergency response to its highest level in parts of Guangxi as heavy rainfall continued to batter the region. Around 48,000 residents were evacuated from vulnerable areas, while nearly 55,000 people have been affected by the flooding in Nanning alone.
Floodwaters inundated roads, submerged vehicles and damaged infrastructure in several cities, including Guigang and Fangchenggang, where rescue teams were deployed to assist stranded residents. Authorities warned people to stay away from rivers, reservoirs and low-lying areas as more rain was forecast.
Typhoon Maysak made landfall in China‘s Hainan province before moving across northern Vietnam and weakening as it entered southern China. Despite weakening, the storm continued to unleash intense rainfall across Guangxi and neighbouring provinces, significantly increasing the risk of flash floods and landslides.
Chinese authorities have mobilised emergency rescue teams and allocated disaster relief funds to support flood response efforts. Meteorologists have warned that additional heavy rainfall could worsen flooding across southern China in the coming days, while another powerful storm, Super Typhoon Bavi, is expected to threaten eastern China later this week.