In the early morning of September 2nd, a sudden heavy rainstorm hit the town of Shinaihai in Gonghe County, Qinghai Province. The flooding caused at least 6 fatalities as it washed away a road culvert in the town.
Since the end of August, several areas in Qinghai Hainan Prefecture have experienced heavy rainfall. On the early morning of September 2nd, Qinghai Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture was hit by another wave of torrential rain. Prior to this, on August 29th, a short period of heavy rainfall occurred in Ziketan Town in Xinghai County, causing internal flooding and water backflow in various areas of the county.
Netizens reported on September 2nd that torrential rain unexpectedly hit Chaka Town in Wulan County, Qinghai the previous night. In a very short span of time, the streets turned into rivers with water levels reaching up to 50 centimeters. The swift current carried numerous objects towards low-lying areas, resulting in vehicles being washed away and many homestays flooded. Additionally, bridges were destroyed, and roads were cut off.
The Emergency Management Bureau of Gonghe County also reported that the flooding in Shinaihai Town of Gonghe County led to the collapse of a road culvert, causing 2 vehicles to crash and resulting in 5 fatalities inside the vehicles, with another person perishing in the flood. The news of “6 people dead in Qinghai Hainan Prefecture due to heavy rain” has become a hot topic.
Furthermore, on that same night, Qushian Town in Xinghai County and Bagou Township in Tongde County experienced extremely heavy rainfall, triggering floods, mudslides, and urban internal flooding.
Due to the Chinese Communist Party’s tendency to conceal disaster situations, there is suspicion that the actual conditions may be more severe.
According to weather forecasts, on September 3rd, there will still be large to heavy rainfall in some areas of northeastern Qinghai and the Hetao Region of Inner Mongolia. The red alert for geological disasters and the orange alert for mountain torrents in Qinghai are currently in effect.
Many netizens have expressed their concerns: “What’s going on this year? It’s raining heavily one after another.” “The weather this year is abnormal. In the past, it would cool down right after the start of autumn, but this year, the high temperatures persist.” “It’s strange, water levels are rising everywhere. Is there nowhere for the water to drain? Such huge losses.”