On October 21, a netizen posted a video claiming that there was a coastal backflow of seawater at the Dongkou Wharf in Luannan County, Tangshan, Hebei. The video showed seawater surging into nearby residential areas, with cars partially submerged in water. Additionally, tides were reported to have backflowed in Panjin, Liaoning, and other areas this morning, sparking discussions online.
According to merchants near the Dongkou Wharf interviewed by the “Xinjing News,” seawater began to rise during high tide around 2-3 AM, submerging the wharf and causing vehicles on the wharf to be soaked in water. Residents mentioned that they had not seen such large tides in thirty years.
The video footage depicted floodwaters rushing into the village, significant water accumulation on roads, and some residents’ houses being flooded, with household appliances and furniture soaked in water.
It was reported that crops in the area were also inundated overnight.
Around 10 AM, officials from Nanpu Town Government responded to inquiries from “Shangguan News,” stating that this tidal surge was the largest in decades, and the economic losses caused by this event were still being assessed.
On the same day, seawater backflow was also observed in Erjiegou, Dajiu District, Panjin City, Liaoning. This led to severe street flooding, houses in low-lying areas being submerged, and residents evacuating to higher ground. A netizen from Liaoning expressed, “The seawater in Erjiegou, Panjin, has flooded the beds today,” “The cars on the streets of Erjiegou, Panjin, are floating,” and “Coastal roads are closed off.”
Officials from Panjin Maritime Bureau mentioned that the morning tide surge on the 21st was relatively sudden and substantial.
Besides Tangshan and Panjin, other netizens reported similar incidents in cities around the Bohai Sea, including areas in Tianjin Binhai. They also mentioned backflow occurrences in five coastal cities in Liaoning with exceptionally high tides. There were reports of similar incidents in Qinhuangdao.
The unusual phenomena have triggered discussions among netizens. Some expressed, “There have been unusually many disasters this year,” “I’ve lived a lifetime and never heard or seen such things; this is definitely headline news. It seems that nature surpasses human science by far,” “Could it be an impending earthquake?” “Seafloor earthquakes can also cause seawater backflow; it might be due to neutrino reactions underground,” “Tsunami, perhaps,” “Is there a possibility that this is related to the extra small star that has appeared in the sky?” “Could this be due to rising sea levels? The weather has been quite abnormal in recent years,” and “Tanggu Xingang in Tianjin also experienced backflow; these are not good signs.” “Something serious might happen soon.” “It must be freezing with all this backflow happening now.”