Some 127million people in China are on alert after deadly 'once in a century' floods killed at least four people and forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes.
Violent storms have battered southern China since Thursday, state media said today, with 11 people missing amid the torrential downpours that have submerged cities, swept away cars and lashed a region dubbed the 'factory floor of the world'.
Heavy rain has descended upon the vast southern province of Guangdong in recent days, swelling rivers by up to seven metres and raising fears of severe flooding that local media said could be of the sort only 'seen around once a century'.
'Three deaths were reported in Zhaoqing City while the remaining one is a rescuer in Shaoguan City,' state news agency Xinhua reported, citing local authorities.
Ten others remain missing as search and rescue efforts in the area continue to be carried out, Xinhua added.
The Guangdong province, China, has been battered by torrential downpours that have caused devastating and deadly floods
A vehicle was seen being swept away in thick, muddy floodwaters as helpless onlookers watched on in horror
Horror footage captured the moment a bridge in Guangdong collapsed on April 21, following brutal storms that have been wreaking havoc in China since Thursday
The rivers have swelled by up to seven metres, submerging homes, shops, and grasslands in deep flood waters
More than 110,000 people have been relocated across Guangdong as the rain has destroyed homes
At least four people have died, 11 remain missing, and tens of thousands have been evacuated from their homes due to the harsh weather
China is no stranger to extreme weather but recent years have seen the country hit by severe floods, grinding droughts and record heat.
Across the province, 36 houses collapsed while 48 were severely damaged, resulting in a direct economic loss of nearly 140.6 million yuan, Xinhua reported.
More than 110,000 people have been relocated across Guangdong, according to the news site.
Of those, more than 45,000 were evacuated from the northern city of Qingyuan, which straddles the banks of the Bei River, a tributary in the wider Pearl River Delta, state media reported Sunday.
The authorities said the river was expected to reach levels not seen in 50 years.
Terrifying footage shared on state media and online show large swathes of land submerged in murky waters as rescuers were seen ferrying people on lifeboats in the waist-deep floods.
Other images show muddy waters engulfing shops, homes, and farmland areas of Guangdong as birds-eye photos of the province show a concrete jungle drowning in flood waters.
On Monday, authorities raced to rescue villagers caught in landslides and to evacuate trapped residents, dispatching helicopters and carrying the elderly on their backs through the deluge from their homes.
Others remained on the upper floors of their houses, waiting for the waters to recede as friends delivered food by boat.
Across the province, 36 houses collapsed while 48 were severely damaged, according to state news agency Xinhua
Residents were seen lugging suitcases and carrying children off of small rubber boats as they attempted to find safety from the deep water
A birds-eye view of part of the province shows grasslands submerged in brown water
As a result of the punishing weather, landslides have been created as authorities rushed to save civilians buried in the deluge on Monday
Incredible images show the province drowning in brown, muddy water as urgent rescue missions take place to save those trapped in the water
Residents were seen climbing with suitcases and children off of rubber boats as they made a desperate attempt to reach safety as the freak weather unleashed its hell upon the province.
In another image of the aftermath, a vehicle was seen crushed by a fallen tree as destruction unravelled across the province.
Footage captured on Saturday showed a bridge crumbling and collapsing into a river as punishing winds blitzed through the area.
Hailstones with diameters of up to 3cm have also been seen shooting down from the grey skies - smashing through the roofs of houses causing major chaos and destruction.
A number of major rivers have burst their banks, with authorities claiming they are now closely monitoring ' dangerously high' water levels.
Across the province, around 1.16million households lost power over the weekend, but 80 per cent had their electricity restored by Sunday.
Flights have been cancelled and delayed at Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou due to continuous rain, while schools have been ordered shut in at least three cities.
Heavy rain is expected to continue throughout Monday, with meteorological authorities forecasting 'thunderstorms and strong winds in Guangdong's coastal waters' - a stretch of sea bordering major cities including Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Authorities 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.
They have also taken pre-emptive steps of draining excessive water levels from reservoirs as the flood levels continue to rise.
Neighbouring provinces, including parts of Fujian, Guizhou and Guangxi, will also be affected by 'short-term heavy rainfall', the National Meteorological Centre said.
Rescue workers evacuate villagers stranded by floodwaters with a dinghy following heavy rainfall, on April 21, 2024.
Some residents remained on the upper floors of their houses, waiting for the waters to recede as rescuers came to save them in boats
Aerial view of rescuers evacuating trapped villagers after torrential rains on April 21, 2024. Torrential rains have reportedly been falling since Thursday
Resident Huang Jingrong cleans up his car with a boat tied up on the back following the disaster weather
A vehicle damaged by fallen tree trunks is seen in the aftermath of heavy storms in Qingyuan city in southern China's Guangdong province Monday, April 22, 2024
'It is expected that the main impact period of strong convection will last from daytime until night,' it added.
Authorities on Monday issued a yellow alert for rainstorms - the second-lowest in its four-tier system - with high levels of precipitation expected to continue across large swathes of the country.
Guangdong province is China's densely populated manufacturing heartland, home to around 127million people who now remain on high alert following the disaster weather.
Once dubbed the 'factory floor of the world' the province is prone to summer floods, but since Thursday, Guangdong has been battered by unusually heavy rainfall.
The violently heavy downpours have worryingly arrived much earlier than the flood season, which is typically in may and June.
'My rice fields are fully flooded, my fields are gone,' Huang Jingrong, 61, told Reuters.
Huang was taking shelter under an overpass with a few other farmers from his village, alongside an assortment of personal belongings they managed to save, including a washing machine.
'I won't be making any money this year, I will be making losses,' he told Reuters, estimating his losses at about 100,000 yuan (£11,213).
'What can we do? We won't get reimbursed for our losses.'
In the town of Jiangwan, six people were injured and a number were trapped in landslides caused by heavy rain on Sunday, state media reported.
Photographs published by state broadcaster CCTV showed waterfront homes destroyed by a wall of brown mud, and people sheltering in a soaked public sports court.
CCTV reported Sunday that floods as high as 19ft above the warning limit would strike in Pearl River tributaries on Monday morning.
Aflooded riverside park is seen along the Beijiang River in Qingyuan city in southern China's Guangdong province Monday, April 22, 2024
A resident looks on as he stands near houses that are submerged in floodwaters following heavy rainfall at the Xiashahe village, in Qingyuan
A cyclist looks at fallen trees in the street after storms in Qingyuan city in south China's Guangdong province, where the local authority has issued a flood warning after torrential rains
Aerial view of waterlogged fields and village after torrential rains on April 21, 2024 in Qingyuan, Guangdong Province of China
Locals were spotted rowing through the floods as cars and buildings were swept up in the heavy winds and rainfall
Climate change driven by human-emitted greenhouse gases makes extreme weather events more frequent and intense, and China is the world's biggest emitter.
Scientists say freak weather events have become more intense and unpredictable in China, hitting the world's second-largest economy with heavy rains, droughts and severe heat that have inflicted a huge personal and economic toll on parts of the country.
In June 2022, Guangdong experienced its heaviest rainfall in six decade, giving rise to floods and landslides that affected almost half a million people.
'We're worried the floods could be worse than two years ago,' Song Xiaowei, a factory worker in Qingyuan, a small city north of Guangzhou, told Reuters.
'I've friends in Jintan town who have already removed their furniture. The village opposite that has been submerged to the first floor.'
China's wave of brutal weather comes just less than a week after Dubai experienced the heaviest rain the UAE has ever recorded as the 'historic weather event' wreaked havoc across the city.
The United Arab Emirates was thrown into apocalyptic scenes when more than 4.7ins of rain fell in one day - making up the typical yearly average.
Some vehicles, including buses, were almost entirely submerged by the deluge water while the roofs of shopping centres and public buildings collapsed, sending torrents of rainwater gushing through.
Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest airfield for international travel, was flooded out by the deluge - leaving tourists stranded in the desert.
