China floods leave at least 12 dead, thousands evacuated

Flash floods in the southwest and northwest China Official media reported that at least dozens of people were killed and thousands more were injured.

At least six people were killed and 12 others missing after heavy rains triggered flash floods in southwestern Sichuan Province, state-owned news agency CGTN reported Sunday.

As of Saturday, about 1,300 people had been evacuated, the report said.

Meanwhile, the State Broadcasting Corporation (CCTV) said that six more deaths were reported in Longnan City, northwest Gansu Province, and 3,000 people were evacuated. Over the course of a day and a half, precipitation averaged 98.9 mm in the worst affected areas, twice the average rainfall in July.

The rain comes amid a heat wave in parts of the country, including the eastern province of Zhejiang and the city of Shanghai, with temperatures rising to 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) last week.

Heat waves are expected to return this week in many parts of China, through late August, a weather forecaster said. Temperatures from 39°C to 42°C (102.2°F to 107.6°F) are expected in the southern region after July 20, including Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.

On his website, the forecaster said the extreme heat would last “for a long period” of 40 days, up from the usual 30 days.

Experts say such extreme weather events are becoming more likely due to climate change. Warmer air can store more water, resulting in larger cloud explosions when released.

The flood adds to the economic problems caused in part Strict action against COVID-19 Restricting travel and disrupting supply chains.

China is not the only country that suffers from severe weather. Firefighters in Portugal, Spain, France, Greece and Morocco Forest fire fighting raging across tens of thousands of hectares like this week The heat wave continues to bring extreme temperatures It caused hundreds of deaths across southwestern Europe.

The second heat wave of summer – temperatures reached 47 °C (116 °F) in Portugal And 45 degrees Celsius in Spain – caused wildfires that forced thousands of people to evacuate.

in the UK , First ever red alert for exceptional heat It came into effect, with temperatures expected to reach 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit) over the next two days, breaking the country’s heat records.

In Germany, a drop in the water level of the Rhine River due to drought has disrupted the country’s supply chain for goods. Heat waves also hit the southern United States.

The Associated Press contributed to this report