Credited from: CHANNELNEWSASIA
At least 10 people have died in a flash flood that struck northern China, with reports stating that two individuals are still missing. The flooding occurred after the banks of a river burst in Inner Mongolia around 10 p.m. on Saturday, washing away a group of 13 campers near Bayannur city, a significant agricultural hub, according to Dawn, Reuters, trtglobal, and Channel News Asia.
A search and rescue operation is currently underway, mobilizing over 700 personnel, with one person already rescued. The extreme weather conditions have persisted since July, with climate experts attributing the unusual flooding patterns to climate change. Such phenomena are testing the local authorities as millions are displaced and economic losses potentially reach billions, according to Dawn, Reuters, trtglobal, and Channel News Asia.
Bayannur serves as a critical grain and oil production base, along with being a center for sheep breeding and processing. The deluge follows a recent catastrophic downpour in Beijing that resulted in a loss of 44 lives and the evacuation of over 70,000 residents. The central government has announced 430 million yuan in disaster relief funding, pushing the total assistance allocated since April to over 5.8 billion yuan, according to Dawn, Reuters, trtglobal, and Channel News Asia.