Jebol Dam in Guangxi, China Flood Victims 39 People Dead

The settlement of residents in Si'an Village, Guangxi, China, was flooded after heavy rain hit the area on July 1. Photo: VCG/China Daily.

JAKARTA - The death toll from the massive flood in Guangxi, southern China, rose to 39 people on July 9. Another nine people are still missing as residents begin to clean up mud-covered houses and roads.

The Straits Times, citing AFP, reported on Thursday, July 9, that victims of extreme weather damaged southern and central China. Heavy rain triggered severe flooding in Guangxi. At the same time, Super Typhoon Bavi is moving towards provinces in eastern China.

The state-run Xinhua news agency reported 26 deaths related to the breach of the Liulan Dam. Seven people are still missing at the site.

On July 9, AFP journalists saw a roadblock on the way to Liulan. Buses carrying volunteers and the Chinese People's Militia, a reserve force made up of civilians, were heading for the village.

Local residents told AFP that Liulan was not the only reservoir that broke through. A smaller reservoir near Gantang City also collapsed.

A resident with the surname Huang said residents did not realize how severe the flood was. According to him, such a disaster has never happened before.

"We never received any warnings. If we had received warnings, our losses would have been much smaller," Huang said.

He said, the goods on the second floor of his house were also destroyed by the flood.

Another resident, Bi Yunchun, said the same thing. He said the water rose to the second floor of the house.

"In a few hundred years, this is the first time that water has reached the second floor. It has never happened before in history," Bi said.

When AFP visited Liulan on July 8, the floodwaters had receded. However, the roads and houses were still covered in thick mud. Residents were seen cleaning damaged houses. Some used excavators to transport destroyed household goods.

Water from the reservoir is still flowing fast through the river. Rescue teams sent a large drone containing food and supplies for residents trapped on the other side.

State television station CCTV reported that 600 residents of Dutian Village, which is near the reservoir, were already in a safe place. However, they are still cut off from other areas.

Houses in Dutian were hit directly by the flood wave. Some houses even left only the foundation. According to CCTV, many residents had to evacuate after authorities issued warnings.

Floods also damaged animal enclosures and farms. Guigang Zoo asked for public assistance on July 8 to find at least 100 animals that had escaped after their enclosures were damaged. The animals that escaped included alpacas, mini pigs, and zebras.

The head of the local village committee also told Chinese media that about 800 to 900 snakes escaped after a farm was swept away by floods in Hengzhou City.

As residents began to clean up the mud, another bad weather moved to eastern China. Super Typhoon Bavi is expected to land or pass through Taiwan on July 11 before hitting the coast of Fujian and Zhejiang provinces at night.

"After landing, the typhoon will continue to move northwest and gradually weaken," CCTV reported, citing the National Meteorological Center.

CCTV said Bavi has a diameter of more than 1,000 kilometers. The typhoon is expected to bring heavy to very heavy rain over the next three days in northern and northeastern China.