Guangxi floods leave 39 dead, nine missing

Thirty-nine people have died and nine others remain missing following flash floods in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, including a reservoir breach disaster in Nanning, according to local authorities on Thursday.

Speaking at a flood control and disaster relief news conference in Nanning, Ding Wei, vice-mayor of Nanning, said figures may overlap as the identities of some recovered bodies have yet to be confirmed. The numbers are expected to change as search and rescue operations continue and additional cases are verified.

Authorities said they have been matching recovered bodies with personal records one by one, while DNA testing is being expedited for victims whose identities have not yet been confirmed.

For those reported missing, he said they have verified information, including names, ages, and the time and location of disappearance, with family members and other relevant people. Moreover, search areas have been expanded, and rescue teams remain engaged in the search.

As of 11 am Thursday, 64,500 people had been evacuated and resettled across Nanning, including 54,500 in Hengzhou, one of the hardest-hit areas, and 9,321 in neighboring Binyang county.

Power has been restored to about 63,000 households in the two areas, with repairs being accelerated in other affected areas, he added.

With meteorological authorities forecasting more heavy rainfall in Hengzhou and Binyang over the next two days, he said they would remain on high alert and continue efforts to prevent secondary disasters. Emergency response, relief operations and post-disaster recovery are progressing in an orderly manner.