Heavy floods have struck several areas in China, leading to significant casualties. In Chongqing’s Yongchuan district, floods combined with mudslides have caused massive devastation. Videos shared by residents show houses being washed away in the middle of the night, people swept away, and some families of five missing. The affected population is grieving, sharing their stories of hardship.
According to reports from mainland China media on May 26th, 48 hours have passed since the severe rainfall in Yongchuan, Chongqing, and while the floodwaters have receded, local authorities are still searching for 11 missing individuals.
On the night of May 23rd to the early morning of the 24th, a sudden and extreme heavy rainfall triggered flash floods and geological disasters in several areas of Yongchuan. As of 3:30 pm on the 25th, the torrential rain in Yongchuan has resulted in 9 deaths and 11 missing persons.
However, due to the Chinese Communist Party’s tendency to conceal information, the actual numbers of casualties and missing persons are yet to be confirmed.
The heaviest rainfall occurred in the tea plantations and bamboo forests area of Yongchuan. Numerous online videos depict the severity of the situation, with many residents being swept away by the sudden floodwaters in the dead of night, their fates unknown.
A villager from Anxi village described the scene upon his return, witnessing the mud and debris rolling down the mountain, multiple landslides, and even coming across bodies, though capturing them on camera was prohibited. The village has been submerged, and he, along with others, have been relocated to tents in a town below the mountain. The process of rescue and recovery continues, with numerous bodies still unaccounted for, some carried miles away by the floodwaters.
A local homestay owner reported significant losses due to the disaster. His breeding farm was swept away, resulting in losses of tens of thousands of yuan. The sudden heavy rainfall on the night of the 23rd washed away the sandy soil from the mountain, leaving it bare and rocky, a phenomenon never seen before in the area.
The Doushuidong coal mine in Yongchuan’s Chaoshan Zhuhai Street, where Anxi village is located, has also been severely affected by the floods, contributing to the devastation.
Another female villager from Anxi village shared her anguish over the search for her grandmother’s body, emphasizing the need to find her remains above all. She recounted her mother’s harrowing escape from the flood, struggling through the debris and sediment that had accumulated, highlighting the severe impact on their community.
Multiple videos captured the aftermath of the floods, showing houses once situated on hillsides reduced to rubble, with residents stating that their homes had been leveled. Residents reported entire families missing, emphasizing the extensive property damage and loss of life in the affected areas.
On May 24th, the operator of a leisure farm called “Mancang Chuidiao Cai Zhao Nongjiale” in Yongchuan district, known for breeding distinctive fish species such as paddlefish, shared the devastating impact of the floods on his business. Almost all of his 3200 pounds of specialty fish stock were washed away, along with 55 silkie chickens, resulting in an estimated economic loss of 100,000 yuan.