BEIJING – At least nine people have lost their lives and four remain missing after a sudden flash flood struck northern China, state media reported on Sunday, as the nation continues to reel from the destructive grip of a prolonged monsoon season.
The disaster occurred late on August 16 when the banks of a river running through the grasslands of Inner Mongolia gave way around 10 p.m., sweeping away a group of 13 campers on the outskirts of Bayannur, a key agricultural hub in the region. Only one camper has been rescued so far.
More than 700 personnel have been mobilized in a massive search-and-rescue operation, according to reports from the official Xinhua news agency. Rescue teams are racing against time as water levels remain volatile and the terrain poses logistical challenges.
China has faced weeks of relentless downpours since July, with meteorologists pointing to the stalling East Asian monsoon system as the driving force behind the severe floods spanning both northern and southern provinces. Climate experts warn that such extreme weather events, worsened by climate change, will increasingly test disaster preparedness and threaten critical economic sectors across the country.
Bayannur holds national importance as a grain and oil production center, as well as a hub for sheep farming and processing. The flooding poses fresh concerns for the stability of the agricultural supply chain, especially at a time when food security remains a key priority for Beijing.
Meanwhile, in southern China, authorities have begun lifting a three-and-a-half-month-long fishing ban in Hainan Province, which ended on August 16. Boats had been ordered to remain docked in recent weeks as persistent downpours hammered the region, underscoring the nationwide scale of the current weather crisis.
The deadly flooding in Inner Mongolia follows last month’s devastating rainstorm in Beijing, located nearly 1,000 kilometers away, which killed at least 44 people and displaced more than 70,000 residents.
In response to mounting disasters, the central government announced an additional 430 million yuan (S$76.6 million) in emergency relief funds last week. This brings total disaster relief allocations since April to at least 5.8 billion yuan, as authorities scramble to provide assistance to affected communities.
As the monsoon continues to disrupt lives and livelihoods across China, officials warn that the weeks ahead could bring further instability, with the dual challenges of saving lives and safeguarding the economy looming ever larger.