Heavy rain, hail and strong winds hit S, SW and E China, leaving at least 7 people dead

Torrential rains affecting China over the past couple of days produced deadly floods in several provinces in south, southwest and east China, including Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Guangdong provinces and Guangxi Zhuang

According to reports released by Xinhua, at least 7 people have been killed, of which 6 in Jiangxi where at least 514 000 people were affected by winds, hail and rainstorm-triggered floods. 45 000 people were relocated.

The situation prompted the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) to jointly activate a level-IV emergency response and send a special work team and relief materials to affected areas.

As of 11:00 local time Saturday, June 8, the floods adversely affected 37 200 ha (91 923 acres) of crops and wiped out 2 200 ha (5 436 acres) of crops. 58 houses collapsed into the surging waters, with 88 houses severely damaged and 12 000 residents in urgent need of aid.

The storm has left at least one person dead in Guangxi, 4 missing and five injured. In its hardest-hit county of Quanzhou, heavy rain and floods affected more than 180 000 people and forced evacuation of 8 380. At least 110 reservoirs in Guilin has seen water rise above the alert level, Xinhua reports.

58 200 people were affected in Guizhou province, homes were damaged and power supply disrupted. The worst-hit area includes Baisuo Town where water levels rose above 2 m (78.7 inches). 

Featured image credit: NASA Terra/MODIS. Acquired: June 8, 2019