More than 53,000 evacuated in central China over heavy rain

BEIJING: Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated in the central Chinese province of Hunan due to heavy rain, Beijing´s state media said on Friday, as the country endures a summer of extreme weather.

State news agency Xinhua said that as of 5:00 pm (0900 GMT) on Friday, more than 53,000 people have been evacuated across Hunan.

Areas in the province are expected to experience torrential rain, with the downpour in some isolated areas predicted to be “extremely heavy”, Xinhua said, citing local weather departments.

Some parts of Hunan have seen precipitation exceeding 400 millimeters (16 inches) since Wednesday, the state-run news agency said.

The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) also warned that southern and central parts of the country will experience heavy rain on Saturday, pointing to “significant threat of mountain flood disasters” in some areas, Xinhua reported.

The warning comes days after nearly 70,000 people in southern China were evacuated after heavy flooding caused by Typhoon Wutip.

And last month, swathes of northern and central China sweltered under record May heat, with temperatures rising well above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in several major cities.

China has endured spates of extreme weather events from searing heat and drought to downpours and floods for several summers running.

The country is the world´s largest greenhouse gas emitter but also a renewable energy powerhouse, seeking to cut carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2060. Torrential rains last August, triggered by Typhoon Gaemi, which moved from the Philippines and Taiwan to make landfall in eastern China, killed at least 30 people and left dozens missing.