China's Floods Worsen: Death Toll Hits 25 as Rescuers Swim Through Submerged Buildings

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Rescuers Wade Into Floodwaters — Literally

The images emerging from central and southwest China on Wednesday tell the story of a disaster that is rapidly escalating. In Dachong, a town in China's southern Guangdong province, scooters were submerged up to their handlebars in murky floodwater. Rescue teams in inflatable boats pulled a man to safety after he had climbed a tree to escape the rising water — one of dozens of dramatic rescue scenes captured on video and shared widely online.

In the central province of Hubei, both emergency services and military personnel were deployed to help residents — many of them elderly — reach safety. State broadcaster CCTV aired footage of rescuers swimming inside partially submerged homes to reach people who could not move on their own. In one widely circulated scene, a rescue team spent more than an hour working to free a man trapped behind a door in chest-high water.

Death Toll Climbs to 25

As of Wednesday, at least 25 people have been confirmed dead across the affected regions — a significant rise from the 18 fatalities reported just days earlier. (For context on how the disaster began and earlier casualty figures, see our previous report: Deadly Floods Sweep Across Southern and Central China.)

The disaster is affecting a vast area. Eight provinces remain under high alert: Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hainan. Authorities have warned of continued risks from landslides, flash floods, and severe urban waterlogging across all these areas.

A Storm System Unlike Any in Recent Memory

Chinese meteorologists describe the weather system as unusually large in scale. The zone of intense rainfall stretches across more than 1,000 kilometers — roughly the distance from London to Rome — and draws moisture simultaneously from three major sources: the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean.

What makes the situation particularly dangerous is the slow movement of the system. Instead of passing quickly, it has stalled over the region, causing rainfall to accumulate far beyond what local drainage infrastructure can handle. Aerial footage broadcast by CCTV showed vast stretches of both Hubei and its southern neighbor Hunan completely swamped by floodwaters.

More Rain on the Way — Now Also Heading North

China's national weather bureau issued a stark warning on Wednesday: another significant round of rainfall is set to arrive on Thursday, affecting both southern and northern regions. Provinces including Shaanxi and Sichuan — which had not been at the center of the crisis until now — are expected to experience torrential rain alongside the already hard-hit areas of Hunan, Guangxi, and Guangdong.

This expansion of the affected zone is particularly concerning. Shaanxi and Sichuan lie along major river systems feeding into the Yangtze basin — a region home to hundreds of millions of people and historically one of China's most flood-vulnerable corridors.

Infrastructure and Emergency Response Under Strain

Across the affected provinces, businesses, schools, and public transport remain shut down. Thousands of residents have been relocated from high-risk zones, with emergency shelters operating across multiple cities. In Guangxi — already dealing with the aftermath of a 5.2-magnitude earthquake earlier this week — both flood victims and earthquake-displaced residents are sheltering in temporary facilities.

China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has maintained its Level-IV emergency response across multiple provinces. Given the forecast for continued and expanding rainfall, authorities are expected to reassess and potentially raise alert levels in the coming days.

A Deepening Pattern of Extreme Weather

This disaster does not exist in isolation. In 2024, China recorded its highest number of major river floods in recent history, with economic losses exceeding 323 billion yuan (approximately $44 billion USD). In the first half of 2025 alone, more than 300 people were reported dead or missing due to flooding, with over 600,000 requiring evacuation.

Climate scientists have consistently linked the increasing intensity of such events to rising global temperatures, which allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture — producing storms that are both stronger and less predictable. China's traditional flood season, running from May through October, is now regularly producing events that exceed the design capacity of its existing flood defenses.

The situation on the ground remains fluid and fast-moving. As Thursday's next rainfall wave approaches — and as floodwaters continue to rise across Hubei, Hunan, and Guangxi — both authorities and residents face what may yet be the most difficult days of this disaster.

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Sources:

1. Reuters – "Chinese personnel swim, use boats to evacuate people in flood-hit areas" (May 20, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/chinese-personnel-swim-use-boats-evacuate-people-flood-hit-areas-2026-05-20/
2. CCTV / China Central Television – Flood rescue footage and meteorological briefings, May 20, 2026: https://www.cctvplus.com
3. Udumbara.net – Previous report on the China floods (background and earlier casualty figures): https://udumbara.net/deadly-floods-sweep-across-southern-and-central-china-death-toll-rises-to-12
4. China Meteorological Administration – Flood season forecasts and warnings: https://www.cma.gov.cn/en/

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