BEIJING — Heavy “Plum Rains” continue to batter China’s north and west, triggering deadly floods, landslides, red alerts, and mass evacuations as rescue teams race to save lives.

Over 1,000 rescuers were deployed in Henan’s Taiping town after a river overflowed, killing five and leaving three missing. In Gansu, two workers died in a rain-induced landslide. Guangxi also saw buildings collapse from waterlogged soil, with 21 villagers evacuated after landslides destroyed homes.

Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing urged Hebei officials to act swiftly to minimise casualties as rains intensify. Meanwhile, extreme heat scorched China’s eastern coast.

Meteorologists warn climate change is amplifying extreme weather, straining defences, displacing residents, and threatening agriculture, with last year’s floods alone causing over US$10 billion in losses.