Deadly floods across southern China span 1,000 kilometres, at least 10 killed as truck plunges into river

climate | ABC News Australia | 2026-05-25T18:40:00.000Z

Intense rainfall spanning more than 1,000 kilometres has caused deadly flooding across southern China. At least 10 people were killed when a truck carrying 15 passengers fell into a flooded river. Schools and public transport have been suspended across multiple provinces including Guangdong, Hubei, and Hunan.

Intense rainfall spanning more than 1,000 kilometres has caused deadly flooding across southern China, killing at least 10 people and forcing widespread evacuations. The most devastating incident occurred when a truck carrying 15 passengers fell into a flooded river, claiming at least 10 lives. Rescue operations are ongoing across multiple provinces.

Chinese meteorologists attribute the extreme rainfall to an unusual convergence of moisture from the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean simultaneously feeding into a slow-moving weather system. The system has been dumping rain on affected areas for days with no immediate sign of abating, creating increasingly dangerous conditions.

In Guangzhou, several delivery drivers performed a dramatic rescue of a boy who had fallen off his bicycle into floodwaters. One rescuer said he did not think about anything else when he saw the child choking on water, simply running over to help. In Hubei province, police resorted to using forklifts to clear stranded cars off major roads, while in Hunan, excavators were deployed to evacuate isolated villages.

Schools and public transport have been suspended across the worst-affected areas. Residents describe water levels rising so rapidly that flood barriers were overwhelmed within an hour. With the heightened risk of landslides, authorities are urging residents in mountainous areas to evacuate preemptively.

For areas where the rain and flooding has begun to ease, the enormous task of cleaning up has started. Streets remain covered in thick mud and debris. The slow-moving nature of the weather system means further rainfall is expected in coming days, keeping flood warnings in effect across multiple provinces.