Rising casualties in northwest China floods reach 13 deaths

Rising casualties in northwest China floods reach 13 deaths

Floods and Mudslides in Northern and Northwestern China Cause Loss of Life and Missing Persons

Recent flash floods and mudslides in northern and northwestern China, driven by an active East Asian monsoon and extreme weather patterns, have resulted in a significant loss of life and missing persons.

As of Saturday, August 17, 2025, the death toll from floods and mudslides in northwestern China has risen to 13, with at least 30 people still missing. The initial death toll was 10, announced on Friday, but the number has since increased as more bodies were found following earlier incidents in early August.

In the mountainous areas of Gansu province, flash floods and a landslide caused at least 10 deaths and left 33 people missing. Over 4,000 people were stranded due to the disaster, with intense rainfall of around 195 mm recorded.

In a separate incident, a riverbank burst near Bayannur city in Inner Mongolia, killing at least 8 people and leaving 4 others missing after washing away campers at around 10:00 pm Saturday night. One person was rescued alive. The death toll in Inner Mongolia from the same flood event is reported to be 9 dead and 3 missing, reflecting slight discrepancies in numbers reported by different state media.

The root causes for these deadly floods and mudslides are persistent and heavy rainfalls triggered by a stalling East Asian monsoon, causing rivers to burst banks and overwhelming drainage systems. The monsoon has created "atmospheric chaos," prolonging extreme weather in both northern and southern China. Geographic factors such as mountainous terrain also contribute to landslides accompanying flash floods, exacerbating casualties in affected counties like Yuzhong.

In response, the Chinese central government has allocated substantial disaster relief funds totaling over 5.8 billion yuan since April, with an additional 430 million yuan released recently to aid relief efforts. China's top economic planner has also allocated 100 million yuan ($14 million) for disaster relief in Gansu.

The rescue operation is complex due to mud, rough roads, cut telephone lines, and electricity. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the "utmost effort" in rescuing missing people.

Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer. Torrential rains have also affected China's south, resulting in tens of thousands of people being evacuated across Guangdong. Authorities have announced a yellow alert for torrential rains and activated a flood response plan in the provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, and Chongqing. Thousands more have been evacuated.

China is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, and scientists warn that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up due to fossil fuel emissions. China is also a global renewable energy powerhouse.

| Area | Death Toll | Missing Persons | Date Reported | Causes/Details | |----------------------|------------|-----------------|---------------|--------------------------------------| | Inner Mongolia | 8-9 | 3-4 | Aug 16-17 | Riverbank burst, campers swept away | | Northwestern China | 10-13 | 33 | Early August | Heavy rain, landslides, flash floods |

1. The East Asian monsoon and extreme weather patterns in northern and northwestern China have led to a surge in news about floods and mudslides, causing significant damage to the world's environmental science and climate-change studies due to the devastation wreaked upon the environment.
2. Recent weather-forecasting models have shown the potential for further weather-related disasters in the region, with scientific predictions indicating a continuation of the atmospheric chaos caused by the monsoon, posing further threats to both life and the art communities that may be affected by subsequent floods.
3. Understanding the intricate relationship between precipitation patterns, geographic factors, and human activities related to deforestation has become crucial in the worldwide scientific community, with a focus on environmental-science research and its links to climate-change issues in China and beyond.
4. As the globe grapples with the impacts of climate-change, people across the world keep a keen eye on the events unfolding in China, hoping for positive developments in weather-forecasting and environmental management that could serve as a blueprint for future disaster mitigation efforts and provide hope for a more resilient and art-preserving world.

Read also: