240,000 people evacuated in China rainstorms, says state media

Rescue workers evacuate flood-affected residents following heavy rains in Yueyang in central China’s Hunan province on July 2, 2024. (Photo by CNS / AFP)

Nearly a quarter of a million people were evacuated in eastern China as rainstorms lashed swathes of the country and caused the Yangtze and other rivers to swell, state media reported Wednesday.

Xinhua said the storms had affected 991,000 residents in Anhui province and forced the evacuation of 242,000 people by Tuesday afternoon.

“As of 4 pm Tuesday, rainstorms had wreaked havoc in 36 counties and districts in seven prefecture-level cities in Anhui, according to the provincial emergency-management department,” Xinhua reported.

China has been enduring extreme weather conditions in recent months, from torrential rainfall to searing heat waves.

The country is the leading emitter of greenhouse gases, which scientists say drive climate change and make extreme weather events more frequent and intense.

The state-run news agency said the Yangtze, China’s longest river, has seen water levels in its Anhui section exceed warning marks and continue to rise.

Torrential rains have also pushed waters above their alert levels in another 20 rivers and six lakes in the province.