Part of southern China placed on red alert due to torrential rain and risk of flooding

Part of southern China was placed on red alert on Tuesday April 23 due to heavy rains in Guangdong. This alert, which corresponds to the highest level of vigilance, has been in effect since 11 a.m. local time in Shenzhen, said the meteorological services of this city of 17.7 million inhabitants, bordering Hong Kong. Authorities have warned of a risk of flooding “very high” during an episode of very heavy rain which is expected to last “two or three hours”.

Since Thursday, torrential rains have hit the Guangdong province, the most populous in China (127 million inhabitants) and the heart of Chinese manufacturing power with its tens of thousands of factories. The bad weather left at least four dead and led to tens of thousands of evacuations, according to a report revised upwards on Monday. More than 100,000 people from Guangdong had to be relocated, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Rainfall in recent days has caused rivers to swell to such a level that authorities said on Sunday they feared “floods of the century”. China has faced extreme weather conditions in recent months, exacerbated by climate change according to scientists. Already in September, Shenzhen was hit by torrential rains, the heaviest ever recorded since weather records began in 1952, according to state media.