China Hit by Floods, Landslides: 10 Dead, 33 Missing; Xi Demands Action
BEIJING, China – August 8, 2025: China is dealing with some awful flash floods and landslides. So far, 10 people are dead, and 33 are still missing as of late Friday. Sadly, these deaths happened in two different places: Gansu province in the northwest and Guangzhou down south. China’s President Xi Jinping wants everyone to go all-out on rescue and help efforts. He is telling officials to do everything they can to save people and fix what’s broken.
Gansu Province Swamped by Flash Floods
The worst of it is in Yuzhong County, in Gansu province. Heavy rains since Thursday caused flash floods and at least one big landslide in hills around Lanzhou, the area’s main city. These rains have, so far, killed 10 and left 33 missing. State TV says almost 8 inches (195 millimeters) of rain fell by early Friday, knocking out power and phone lines. That left over 4,000 people stuck in four villages around the Xinglong Mountain area. They say three of the missing got caught in a landslide in Maliantan village.
Guangzhou Landslide Kills Seven
At the same time, another landslide caused by rain killed people down south. In Guangzhou, in the northern Baiyun area, a sudden landslide buried some houses on Wednesday. Seven people died, and seven more were hurt. Having these two disasters, one in the northwest and one in the south, shows how bad the weather is across China right now.
President Xi Orders Action
After hearing about the deaths and missing people, President Xi Jinping gave a strong order. He wants everyone to try their hardest to rescue people and told all areas to get ready for disasters. Xi wants everyone to focus on finding the missing, getting people to safety, keeping deaths as low as possible, and getting communications and roads back up fast. The government is moving fast to react. The Ministry of Emergency Management sent people to Gansu to help with the rescue work.
Rescue Work and Problems
Rescues are going on in Yuzhong County. The local government has sent over 2,700 people, 980 trucks, and lots of emergency stuff. Rescue teams (including firefighters and volunteer groups) are using big machines and special tools like drones to find the missing. But blocked roads and thick mud are really making things hard. Firefighters posted videos on social media, showing rescuers wading through fast-moving, muddy floodwaters. The ground in Gansu is loose and easily slides when it gets wet, which makes rescue harder.
Extreme Weather Seems to Be the Norm Lately
These disasters are just part of more extreme weather that is hitting China this summer. In July, bad rains killed 44 people near Beijing. In Guangdong province, officials said the recent rains were some of the worst in August since the 1800s, causing lots of flooding and forcing tens of thousands to leave their homes. Weather experts say that these more common and stronger weather events are due to climate change. They say that changes in the East Asian monsoon winds play a big role.
