China floods kill at least 22, force mass evacuations

2 min readUpdated May 20, 2026

At least 22 people were killed as heavy rain and flash floods tore through seven provinces in southwestern and central China this week, displacing tens of thousands of residents, Chinese state media reported.

Described by state media as the most intense storm to hit China this year, the system began on Friday and deposited as much as 12 inches of rain across the affected provinces over roughly five days. In Fangchenggang, a coastal city near Vietnam, total rainfall reached about 32 inches, Xinhua reported.

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Ten people lost their lives in Guangxi, a southern region that shares a border with Vietnam, after a vehicle went off a bridge and into a river, Xinhua reported. People's Daily reported that Guizhou, in China's southwest, recorded four deaths and five people unaccounted for. State broadcaster CCTV put the toll in the central province of Hubei at three dead and four missing.

Photos from Chinese state media showed residents navigating waist-high murky floodwater that had swamped roads and parking areas, while emergency teams deployed inflatable boats to pull trapped people to safety. The flooding knocked out communications in certain areas of Guizhou and left roads impassable, according to ABC News.

According to The Times, the China Meteorological Administration issued a forecast on Wednesday projecting up to eight more inches of precipitation for southern areas, Hong Kong included, which could trigger additional urban flooding. A flood warning was issued for parts of southeastern China as the storm continued moving through the region.

While the rainy season across most of China spans May through October, the southern part of the country generally sees it arrive earlier, often starting in April, according to The Times.

Floods and heavy rain kill at least 22 across 7 Chinese provinces

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