Eight-year-old girl survives seven hours in sewer during severe floods in Guizhou, China
An 8-year-old girl survived more than seven hours in a submerged sewer system after being swept away by floodwaters in Guizhou Province, China, on June 23, 2025.
Heavy monsoon rainfall between June 23 and 27, triggered severe flooding in southern China’s Guizhou Province, causing at least six fatalities and displacing over 80 000 people.
In Rongjiang County, an 8-year-old girl was swept into a drainage pipe while attempting to find a lost shoe. She was rescued more than seven hours later from a submerged sewer, unharmed.
The incident occurred on June 23 when rushing waters pulled the girl into an underground pipe system approximately 9 m (30 feet) deep. Local firefighters said she survived by clinging to a horizontal bar in the dark, cold water. She was found alive and conscious on June 24, displaying no visible serious injuries, according to provincial authorities.
A separate incident on June 24 involved a lorry driver left hanging from a collapsed high‑altitude bridge in Guizhou province following a landslide triggered by heavy monsoon rains. The footage shows his cabin suspended over a steep valley as he sat stranded inside, the weight of the trailer preventing a complete fall.
With no mobile connectivity, a bystander warned him to “wait for the fire service” while traffic was redirected. Firefighters mobilized 23 vehicles with 89 personnel, deploying ladders and safety ropes to ensure a safe response. The driver was eventually guided to safety through the cab window, with no casualties reported.
Local authorities confirmed the Houzihe Bridge on the Xiarong Expressway collapsed at around 7:40 LT and that the monsoon rains had pushed rivers to historic high levels, prompting warnings of the worst flooding in 30 years in Rongjiang county.
Wider flooding across Guizhou was described as the worst in 50 years. Affected counties included Rongjiang and Congjiang, where 49 000 and 32 000 residents were evacuated, respectively. Rivers surged past warning levels, submerging roads, damaging homes, and stranding residents. Aerial imagery showed entire sections of Rongjiang partially submerged, including urban areas and public infrastructure.
On June 25, China’s National Development and Reform Commission allocated 100 million yuan (USD 14 million) for emergency relief in Guizhou, intended for repairing damaged roads, hospitals, and flood defenses.
A Level III emergency response was launched on June 26, replacing the initial Level IV alert. Authorities have warned of continued precipitation, ranging from heavy rain to torrential rain, in localized areas.
Featured image credit: Guizhou Fire Services
I’m a science journalist and researcher at The Watchers, contributing to the Epicenter edition, where I cover peer-reviewed scientific research and emerging discoveries across Earth and space sciences. With a background in astronomy and a passion for environmental science, I’ve worked in shark and coral conservation in Fiji, conducting reef and shark-behavior research, contributing to mangrove restoration, and earning PADI Open Water and Coral Reef Certifications. I bring a blend of scientific rigor and storytelling to illuminate the discoveries shaping our planet and beyond.
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