More than 25,000 people have been evacuated from northwestern China’s Shaanxi Province after heavy rains triggered flooding that damaged critical infrastructure, collapsed roads and disrupted power and communications, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday.
According to CCTV, torrential rainfall over the past 24 hours caused widespread destruction across parts of the province, with floodwaters washing away roads and damaging bridges, prompting emergency rescue operations.
Footage aired by the broadcaster showed severely eroded roads in Zhen’an County, Shangluo City, as emergency personnel transported relief supplies, including drinking water and rice, on foot to affected communities cut off by the floods.
Authorities warned that heavy rainfall is expected to continue in the region, raising concerns over further flooding and landslides. Local officials said more than 140,000 people have been evacuated across Shaanxi since July 30.
The flooding comes as China prepares for the arrival of Typhoon Dolphin, which is forecast to make landfall along the country’s eastern coastline between Shanghai and Fujian from August 9 to 10.
Meteorological authorities warned that after making landfall, the typhoon could interact with a cold air system, potentially bringing even heavier rainfall to northern China than to the eastern coastal regions.
Officials also forecast heavy to torrential rainfall across large parts of the country, including Heilongjiang, Jilin, Shaanxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi and Hainan provinces, and urged residents to remain vigilant against floods, landslides and other weather-related disasters.
Meanwhile, China is also battling an intense heatwave, with temperatures expected to exceed 38 degrees Celsius across many central and eastern regions. In the Turpan Basin of northwestern Xinjiang, temperatures are forecast to rise above 42 degrees Celsius.
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