Flash floods kill 10, injure 23 at Shuangshimen scenic area in Gansu Province, China
At least 10 people were killed and 23 others injured after rain-triggered flash floods swept through the Shuangshimen Scenic Area in Weiyuan County, Dingxi City, Gansu Province, northwest China, on Sunday, July 26, 2026. Sudden heavy rainfall in the area generated powerful mountain torrents through a narrow valley during the afternoon, prompting hundreds of rescues in the area.
Rescue operatives searching vehicles for trapped people after deadly flooding in Dingxi City in Gansu Province, China on July 26, 2026. Credit: Weiyuan Public Security Bureau/Xinhua
Intense, sudden rainfall triggered deadly flash flooding at a Scenic area in Dingxi City in Gansu Province at around 14:00 local time (LT) on Sunday afternoon, July 26. The flash floods trapped campers in the Shuangshimen Scenic Area in Weiyuan County, where the fatalities occurred.
A total of 305 firefighters and rescue personnel, supported by 68 emergency vehicles, were deployed to the disaster area to search for missing and trapped victims, evacuate survivors, and assess damage across the affected valley.
The Weiyuan Public Security Bureau confirmed 10 fatalities and 23 injuries as of 18:00 LT on Sunday after completing four rounds of search and rescue operations.
China’s Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) dispatched a working team to the disaster zone to coordinate rescue operations.
The National Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters activated a Level 4 emergency response for flood control in Gansu Province in support of the ongoing response.
A rescuer at the scene said the floodwaters had widened a nearby river to more than 30 m (100 feet) at its widest point. The fast-flowing, debris-filled torrent hampered search efforts and made it difficult to locate people trapped in the floodwaters.
At least 240 people were evacuated from the scenic area while seven were rescued alive from trapped vehicles, Wu Mingguo, head of Dingxi’s fire and rescue detachment, reported.
Some media reports have linked the flooding to Typhoon Noul, which made landfall in the region on the same day. However, no official authority has confirmed such a connection.
Based on information released by Chinese authorities, the event was triggered by a localized heavy rain event that produced rapid mountain flooding, independent of the typhoon.
References:
1 Flash flood strikes scenic area in Weiyuan County, Dingxi City, Gansu Province – Ministry of Emergency Management – July 26, 2026
2 Rain-triggered flash flood kills 10, injures 23 in China’s Gansu scenic area – Xinhua – July 26, 2026
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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