Monsoon hits northern China hard: At least eight dead in flash floods

At least eight people have died and four others remain missing after a flash flood swept through northern China’s Inner Mongolia region, state media said on August 17. 

The flood struck on August 16, washing away 13 campers on the outskirts of Bayannur, a key agricultural hub. One person has been rescued, Caliber.Az reports, citing Western media.

China has faced weeks of extreme weather since July, with heavier-than-usual monsoon downpours stalling over the north and south. Experts link these shifting patterns to climate change, which has displaced thousands and threatened billions of dollars in economic losses.

Bayannur is a major national base for grain and oil production, as well as sheep breeding and processing. In southern China, the three-and-a-half-month fishing ban in Hainan ended Saturday after officials had ordered vessels to remain in port due to heavy rain.

Meanwhile, in Sichuan province, severe weather claimed two lives and injured three at a beer festival in Mianzhu on August 15, when a truss collapsed, local police said.

The latest flooding in Inner Mongolia comes after deadly downpours in Beijing last month, which killed at least 44 people and forced the evacuation of over 70,000 residents. In response, the central government last week allocated 430 million yuan ($59.9 million) for disaster relief, bringing total funding since April to at least 5.8 billion yuan.

By Khagan Isayev