At least 39 people have died as a result of severe flooding caused by tropical storm "Maysak" in southern China, local authorities said, quoted by the Associated Press. At the same time, China's east coast and Taiwan are preparing for a new powerful typhoon, which is expected to make landfall in the coming days, BTA reports.
The situation is the most serious in the Guangxi autonomous region, where 26 people died after a dam burst in an area east of the city of Nanning. Nine more people remain missing.
Storm "Maysak" brought record rainfall to the region, causing severe flooding and the collapse of dams. Many residents were trapped in their homes and other buildings for days due to the rising waters.
Drones and about 5,700 boats are involved in the rescue operations, with teams working in extremely difficult conditions due to strong currents and a large amount of debris. According to local authorities, nearly 130,000 people have been evacuated from the affected areas.
The authorities report that the water level is gradually starting to fall, but warn that more heavy rainfall is expected in some areas over the next two days.
In the most seriously affected city of Hangzhou, activities continue to clear mud and debris, as well as disinfect the affected neighborhoods. In parallel, road infrastructure repairs are underway, and power has already been restored to over 60,000 households.
Meanwhile, meteorologists are warning of a new danger. Typhoon "Bavi" is expected to pass north of Taiwan, bringing heavy rainfall, and then reach the Chinese coast in the provinces of Zhejiang or Fujian on Saturday. Authorities are monitoring the situation and preparing preventive measures to limit the risk to the population.