The western province of Qinghai in China faced a devastating flood disaster this Thursday, as reported by the state news agency Xinhua. Officials said eight people were confirmed deceased and nearly two dozen remained unaccounted for, with the tally later adjusted as rescue teams continued their work on the ground. The regional government had initially reported four fatalities and twenty-seven missing, but the latest numbers, compiled by local authorities on Friday at 20:00 local time (12:00 GMT), reflect ongoing efforts to locate survivors and quantify the impact of the rising waters.
The heavy rainfall began Wednesday evening, around 22:25 local time (14:25 GMT), in a rugged mountainous area of Datong County, which sits to the north of Qinghai’s provincial capital, Xining. In the early hours of Thursday, shortly after 7:00 a.m. local time (23:00 GMT on Wednesday), emergency services elevated the flood alert to level 2. This marking represents the second-highest tier within China’s four-tier flood warning system, signaling a significant and ongoing threat to life and property.
More than 6,000 people were affected by the disaster, and about 1,500 residents were evacuated from affected neighborhoods to nearby schools that will serve as temporary shelters. Local authorities organized relief operations, setting up safe havens, distributing meals, blankets, and essential supplies to those displaced, while medical teams conducted rapid health assessments and provided care to vulnerable residents.
Since the onset of the summer rainy season, severe flooding has repeatedly disrupted communities across the country. In several states, residents have faced many challenges as homes and infrastructure were overwhelmed by floodwaters, leaving thousands homeless and rendering roads and bridges unusable. The memory of last summer’s floods lingers in the region, when unusually heavy rainfall caused widespread damage in central Henan Province, inundating neighborhoods and subway stations and resulting in a tragic death toll that rose into the hundreds.
A meteorologist from the National Meteorological Center commented on the broader climate context, noting that while it is not possible to attribute any single event directly to climate change, the longer-term trend is clearer: rising global temperatures are linked to more intense and frequent extreme weather events. This perspective has shaped ongoing discussions among scientists and policymakers about preparedness, adaptability, and resilience in weather-related disasters.