Eight dead, four missing in Inner Mongolia flash flood

A flash flood in Inner Mongolia killed eight people and left four missing, Chinese state media said Sunday.

A group of 13 people were camping outdoors in Inner Mongolia’s Urat Rear Banner when a flash flood occurred around 10 pm (1400 GMT) on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua said.

As of Sunday morning, one person had been rescued and search and rescue operations for the missing are ongoing, Xinhua added.

The flash flood on Saturday has resulted in the deaths of eight campers on the outskirts of Bayan Nur City in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, local authorities said on Sunday.

The incident occurred around 10 pm when a flash flood hit the upper reaches of a river in Urat Middle Banner, leading to 13 people camping in the area being reported missing following the flood.

As of 10 am on Sunday, one person has been rescued, eight have been confirmed dead, and four remain missing. Search and rescue operations for the missing individuals are currently underway.

In response to the incident, the Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched a task force to the site to oversee rescue efforts. Local firefighting and rescue teams mobilised specialised personnel to handle the emergency.

China’s national observatory renewed a blue alert for rainstorms on Sunday, warning of downpours in multiple regions of the country.

From 8:00 am Sunday to 8:00 am Monday, heavy rain and rainstorms are forecast to hit parts of Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Qinghai, Guangxi and Guangdong, the National Meteorological Centre said.

Some areas may experience brief but intense precipitation with hourly rainfall potentially exceeding 70 millimetres, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds, the centre said.

It has issued safety guidelines, urging local authorities to prepare for the rainstorms, schools and kindergartens to ensure the safety of students, drivers to be cautious of waterlogged roads and traffic congestion, and relevant agencies to inspect drainage systems in cities, farmlands and fish ponds.

China has a four-tier colour-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

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