At least eight people have died and four remain unaccounted for after a sudden flash flood struck a camping group in Inner Mongolia, according to Chinese state media on Sunday.
State news agency Xinhua reported that 13 people had been camping in Urat Rear Banner when the floodwaters surged around 10 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Saturday. By Sunday morning, only one camper had been rescued, while search teams continued to comb the area for the missing.
CCTV confirmed that the Ministry of Emergency Management had called for “full-scale rescue efforts” and ordered officials to “verify the status of the missing.” A special task force has also been deployed to assist local authorities at the scene.
China frequently experiences deadly natural disasters during the summer months, with some regions battling severe downpours while others endure scorching heatwaves.
Earlier this month, flash floods and mudslides in the northwest claimed at least 13 lives, state media reported. In July, Beijing recorded one of its deadliest rainstorms in years, which killed 44 people — most in the city’s rural outskirts. Around the same period, another eight people died in a landslide in Hebei province.
Experts warn that extreme weather events are becoming more destructive as climate change intensifies, with warmer air holding more moisture and increasing the risk of catastrophic flooding.
