China’s Guangxi has been continuously hit by torrential rains since July 4. On July 6, multiple reservoirs in Hengzhou City, Guangxi collapsed due to the flood disaster, resulting in a large number of casualties. Official reports on July 9 only mentioned “39 deaths and 9 missing persons” in the entire Guangxi region, with no further updates on the numbers. Local villagers revealed to Da Ji Yuan that the actual death toll from the flood disaster this time is at least in the four digits, with entire villages losing all their residents.
Different reservoirs and rivers in and around Hengzhou City had breached and collapsed successively, causing floods of various sizes in many areas. Many people who couldn’t escape in time were swept away by the floodwaters.
As of July 9, official reports from Guangxi mentioned 39 deaths and 9 missing persons due to the flood disaster (including 26 deaths and 7 missing persons from the collapse of the Six Lan Reservoir), with no further updates, raising doubts from the public.
Yunbiao Town is one of the severely affected areas, located on the main channel of the floodwaters from the collapse of the Six Lan Reservoir. According to a June 2024 report from the Nanning government website, Yunbiao Town had a population of 86,000.
On July 13, several villagers and volunteers in Yunbiao Town shared their experiences with Da Ji Yuan regarding the disaster.
One villager, Yang Li, mentioned that despite the losses in his family due to the flood, all family members were safe. He emphasized the importance of human safety over economic losses, noting that the death toll is definitely in the four digits. Even though the government’s aid is minimal, the support from various sources is crucial.
Another villager, Mo Gang, explained that his village was downstream and while the damage in their village was not severe, the neighboring villages of Yabei and Six Lan suffered the most. He agreed that the death toll potentially reaching four digits is likely true and that many people are still unaccounted for, especially those near the reservoir.
There have been reports of a document circulating online titled “Hengzhou Disaster Relief Supplies Dispatch Order,” listing items such as medicine, water shoes, tents, and a significant number of body bags. The dispatch coordinator initially wrote “200 body bags” but later corrected it to “250 body bags.”
Mo Gang shared that those involved in body recovery operations are delivering found bodies to the funeral home for identification by village residents.
The discrepancy in reported death tolls between official numbers and local accounts indicates a significant difference, with locals understanding the gravity of the situation but refraining from spreading unverified information due to strict government controls.
Experts have pointed out the severity of the disaster through online visuals showing villages being completely washed away, indicating that the death toll reported is likely underestimated, and more details are expected to emerge.
The dire situation in Guangxi’s flood-ravaged areas is a stark reminder of the devastating impact of natural disasters, with the exact toll on human lives still being a matter of uncertainty and concern for both the affected communities and the authorities.