Heavy rain has taken its toll in western and central China over the last week. Severe flooding and landslides have occurred in Sichuan and Gansu provinces, resulting in around 15 fatalities.
Sichuan Province
Three people died and 5 were reported missing after heavy rain and overflowing rivers caused flooding in Pingwu County, Mianyang in Sichuan province from 12 July 2022. Over 100 people were rescued by emergency services and 700 people evacuated their homes.
Flooding affected other areas of the province in the following days. Xinhua news agency reported 50,900 people were affected in Chengdu, Deyang as well as Mianyang, and 68,000 people were pre-emptively evacuated.
More severe weather struck on Mianyang from 15 July, this time mostly affecting Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County, where local media reported 6 people lost their lives and 12 were missing. Flooding affected over 22,000 residents in the county and 1,323 were evacuated.
Gansu Province
Meanwhile the neighbouring province of Gansu to the north of Sichuan also experienced heavy rainfall over the last 7 days. By around 12 July 8,826 people in districts of Longnan City were affected. As much as 337.7 mm of rain fell in Longnan City, local media said. The heavy rain continued and on 16 July Chinese media reported 6 people had died flooding in Longnan.
