On May 18, heavy rain hit various areas in Maoming, Guangdong, leading to a landslide in Pingtougang Village, Hehua Town, Gaozhou City, resulting in at least 2 deaths and 1 missing person.
According to the Emergency Management Bureau of Gaozhou City, Maoming, the landslide occurred around 7 a.m. on May 18. Preliminary estimates suggest that 7 people were trapped, with 6 rescued so far, including 2 fatalities and 4 hospitalized. Efforts are underway to locate the remaining missing individual.
Given the Chinese Communist Party’s tendency to conceal data, the actual casualties could be more severe.
Videos from the scene show mud and debris flowing into residential homes after the landslide, causing structural damage. The area is filled with mud, protective nets, corrugated iron, bricks, and other debris, with local residents engaged in rescue operations. Another video posted online depicts yellow river water flooding roads, submerging some farmland, with one observer exclaiming it looks like “an expansive sea.”
Local residents expressed to reporters, “The rain is too heavy, many roads are submerged in muddy water.” Villagers living at the foot of the mountain mentioned that due to the landslide, windows were smashed, and a large amount of mud flooded into their homes.
A villager from Pingtougang Village told media that heavy rain started around 2 a.m. that day and continued until around 8 a.m., following which residents closer to the mountain have been relocated to the town.
Furthermore, a video shared by netizens showed a bridge collapse in Beijie Town, Xinyi City. Residents near the bridge informed reporters that around 9 a.m. that day, they heard noises from outside and upon inspection found that a nearby bridge had collapsed due to flooding, leading to the road being blocked.
An official from the Emergency Management Office of Beijie Town government responded, stating that the bridge was under construction and not in use yet, thus the collapse did not result in any casualties.
On the previous day, May 17, Guangxi also experienced heavy rain, with rare flooding incidents in Yulin, Baise, Beiliu, and other cities. In Longlin County, Baise City, 3 people were reported dead, and 1 missing, while in Yulin, one person was swept away and perished in the flood.
The China Meteorological Administration forecasted on the 18th that over the next three days, some areas in the south, southwest, and east of China will experience heavy rainfall and severe convective weather. Due to heavy rain, major rivers like Xijiang, Beijiang, Liujiang, Yujiang, Guijiang, and Hejiang will see significant water level rises, with the likelihood of small to medium-sized rivers in flood-prone areas experiencing above-warning-level floods.
At 18:00 on the 18th, the China Meteorological Administration continued to issue a blue warning for heavy rain, while the Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources, and China Meteorological Administration jointly issued a yellow warning for mountain flood disasters and a geological disaster meteorological risk alert. The China Meteorological Administration activated a Level IV emergency response for significant meteorological disasters (heavy rain).