China has allocated tens of millions of yuan in additional emergency funds to support provinces reeling from devastating storms, rare tornadoes, and landslides that have left thousands displaced and killed at least 21 people.
The central government released 50 million yuan (€6.4 million) to restore damaged roads, schools, and essential infrastructure in central Hubei province.
An additional 20 million yuan (€2.5 million) was directed to Hubei for housing reconstruction and temporary resettlement efforts. On Monday night, violent storms and tornadoes—a rare meteorological event in China—struck the province, killing 11 people and injuring hundreds.
Beijing also allocated 30 million yuan (€3.8 million) to northwestern Gansu province, where a massive landslide buried 21 forestry workers.
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These packages supplement a previously announced 100 million yuan (nearly €13 million) relief fund destined for the southern autonomous region of Guangxi, which has faced severe flooding from tropical storm Maysak.
In Guangxi, torrential downpours caused reservoirs to overflow or breach, submerging entire towns and leaving residents stranded. Regional authorities confirmed six fatalities and the evacuation of roughly 130,000 residents. A rescue fleet of 5,700 boats and over 8,000 emergency personnel has been deployed to the area.
Adding to the emergency, local media reported that hundreds of snakes escaped from commercial breeding farms after being swept away by floodwaters. The Beijing News reported that a local woman died after allegedly being bitten by a snake.
Guangxi authorities later confirmed that “snakes have appeared in some flooded areas” within the municipality of Hengzhou, though they did not specify the animals’ origin. Local medical facilities have since replenished their antivenom stockpiles to treat potential bite victims. According to the National Meteorological Center, Guangxi has accumulated between 100 and 400 millimeters of rain since Saturday, with peak areas exceeding 900 millimeters.
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The region remains on high alert as Typhoon Bavi is projected to hit southeastern China over the weekend. In Taiwan, farmers are rushing to harvest rice crops ahead of the typhoon, which is currently tracking west-northwest across the Philippine Sea.
The severe weather pattern has caused casualties across neighboring Asian nations as well. In southeastern Bangladesh, monsoon-driven landslides killed multiple Rohingya refugees, including five children, while intense rainfall in India has claimed over a dozen lives in recent days.
