Hurricane Rain In Guizhou China Kills 4 People, 17 Reported Missing

Four people were killed and 17 people declared missing after heavy rains triggered landslides in China's southwestern Guizhou province on Thursday. The military was deployed to assist rescue efforts.

Two people were killed in Changshi city and two people from nearby Qingyang village, where 19 people were initially trapped after being hit by a landslide, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday, May 22.

Authorities also issued warnings of the risk of geological disasters in the surrounding area.

China faces hotter and longer heat waves as well as more frequent and unexpected heavy rains as a result of climate change.

The country is very vulnerable to the impact of climate change, authorities say, because of its large population.

Authorities began their third-highest emergency response to heavy rains in the Guizhou mountains as well as nearby provinces of Hunan and Jiangxi.

More than 400 emergency staff including military officers and firefighters were dispatched to assist with rescue missions.

Heavy rains over the past week in China's southern Guangdong province and the Guangxi region have killed seven people and caused several people to disappear with authorities issuing warnings for heavy rains, mountain floods, and geological disasters in the south of the country.

China's meteorological data shows 2024 is the country's warmest year since temperature records began more than six decades ago, and is the second year in a row where a record temperature was broken.