Heavy rains in southern China caused floods and landslides that resulted in five fatalities and fifteen missing persons, according to official media on Monday.
Following weeks of harsh weather in China, portions of the heavily populated Guangdong province have seen torrential downpours since Sunday.
“Five people have died, with 15 people missing” in natural disasters near the city of Meizhou on Monday, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing provincial authorities.
It also stated that 13 more persons were “trapped,” although it withheld information about their circumstances.
CCTV said that more than 10,000 emergency responders had been dispatched by the authorities “to rapidly launch search and rescue work” in the impacted areas.
China is experiencing an unusual summer, with rain falling heavily in the south and a heat wave heating most of the country’s north.
Climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, which scientists claim increases the likelihood of extreme weather. The largest emitter in the world is China.
Three vehicles were buried in a different landslide on a highway in the southeast province of Jiangxi on Monday, according to state news agency Xinhua. The number of casualties was not immediately known.
