Northwestern China, Aug 9 (V7N) — At least 10 people have been confirmed dead and 33 remain missing following sudden flash floods and landslides in Yuzhong County, located in China’s northwestern Gansu province. The disaster was triggered by torrential rainfall that began Thursday evening, inundating the region with nearly 200 millimeters of rain within a few hours — an extraordinary downpour for the mountainous terrain.
 
The intense rainfall caused rivers to overflow and hillsides to collapse, sweeping away homes, vehicles, and infrastructure. One of the most severely affected areas was Maliantan village, where a large landslide buried roads and cut off access to several communities. More than 4,000 people were reportedly stranded in the Xinglong Mountain region due to damaged roads and power outages.
 
Emergency crews, supported by local police, firefighters, and medical teams, have been deployed to search for the missing and assist displaced residents. Temporary shelters have been set up for those who lost their homes, and relief supplies are being delivered by air and land as weather permits.
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for “all-out efforts” to locate survivors and prevent further casualties. He urged local governments to enhance monitoring and disaster preparedness, emphasizing the growing threat posed by extreme weather patterns driven by climate change.
 
As rescue operations continue, the region faces further risks of landslides and flooding, with meteorological authorities warning of continued rain in the coming days. Efforts are underway to restore power, communication lines, and transportation routes, though many remote areas remain inaccessible due to the extent of the damage.
 
Local hospitals are on high alert, treating dozens of injured individuals while coordinating with national agencies for additional medical support. Meanwhile, engineers and military units are working around the clock to stabilize damaged slopes and prevent further landslides.
 
The disaster has brought renewed attention to the vulnerability of China’s rural and mountainous regions to sudden climate-driven catastrophes. Officials have pledged to review infrastructure resilience and improve early warning systems across flood-prone areas.
 
Families of the missing continue to wait anxiously as search efforts stretch into the weekend. The scale of the destruction and the urgency of the rescue highlight the severe humanitarian toll left in the wake of this unexpected natural disaster.
 
END/WD/SMA/