On the evening of May 15th, Jiangxi’s Ganzhou was hit by heavy rain, causing rivers to surge over their banks, flooding streets, submerging roads, washing away cars, and leaving some areas without water and electricity. The regions of Shangyou, Chongyi, and Dayu in Ganzhou were particularly hard hit. Many reservoirs in Ganzhou were releasing floodwaters.
At 8 p.m. on May 15th, several districts and counties in Ganzhou, Jiangxi experienced heavy rain and torrential downpours. In Shangyou County, floodwaters rushed into the urban areas, pushing cars away in the swift currents. Currently, some residential areas are without water and electricity due to the flooding. In Gaoyuan Village in the north of Shangyou County, a historic stone arch bridge called “San Yan Bridge” with two piers and three arches, measuring 40 meters in length, 4.5 meters in width, and 8 meters in height, was washed away.
Additionally, there were landslides in some areas of Shangyou County. Farmers’ crops and livestock were swept away, leading to heavy losses.
Residents of Shangyou County shared on social media that in over twenty years of living there, they had never seen such high water levels. Some mentioned it had been several decades since they last witnessed such intense flooding. Citizens leaving work at midnight expressed astonishment at having to navigate through heavily flooded areas on their way home.
A teacher from Shangyou County reported that the school and the square where she teaches were submerged under 2.3 meters of water.
Local sources revealed that the flash floods were caused by the collapse of a reservoir in Shangyou County, although details were not disclosed.
Some locals disclosed that the release of water from the Shangyou Reservoir (Tuishui Lake) was too rapid, resulting in widespread flooding across Shangyou.
Videos circulated online showing multiple reservoirs releasing floodwaters. In Guannan County, Ganzhou, twelve reservoirs surpassed their water levels and began discharging water due to the impact of heavy rain, creating more storage capacity.
In a video from Dayu County, Ganzhou, three reservoirs were seen discharging water simultaneously, including the Yuoluokou Reservoir, Tangtou Reservoir, and Xiakou Reservoir. The scenes captured were described as spectacular, resembling scenes from a blockbuster movie.
Residents of the old town area of Ganzhou also shared online that the Guangzhou Water Wheel Reservoir was releasing water, leading to floods upstream and causing widespread damage.
The people of Longnan in Ganzhou claimed that water levels had reached historically high levels, prompting some primary and secondary schools in both urban and rural areas to announce the early suspension of classes.
The Gan River is formed by the convergence of the Zhang River and the Gong River. A video filmed by residents of Gan River on May 16th showed that some reservoirs in the upstream Zhang River were also releasing floodwaters.
Due to the impact of this round of heavy rain, it has been difficult for outsiders to obtain accurate information about the number of reservoirs discharging floods or experiencing collapses in Ganzhou, as the Chinese Communist Party tightens control over information flow.
A public notice from the Shangyou County authorities in 2026 revealed that the county has 22 reservoirs and 49 rural hydro stations. Water conservancy expert Wang Weiluo has repeatedly warned that many of China’s reservoirs were built in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s with low design standards and are now in a state of disrepair and aging. These reservoirs pose a looming threat to the people.