Climate News
Nearly 300mm in two hours: flash floods and landslides kill nine in China's Chongqing
Torrential rain overnight on 23–24 May caused flash floods and landslides in Chongqing's Yongchuan district in southwest China. Hong Kong's public broadcaster RTHK said the Chashanzhuhai subdistrict, a tourist area, logged 296.6mm of rain between 2am and 4am on Sunday, with a peak of 103.6mm in one hour. Chongqing raised Yongchuan to its top Level-I flood emergency response, and water on 22 rivers in the municipality rose above warning levels. RTHK first reported three dead, with 17 missing in Yongchuan and two in Beibei district.
On 25 May Reuters, citing state broadcaster CCTV, said the toll had risen to nine, with 11 still missing and more than 2,000 residents relocated. It noted that dozens had already died the week before when intense rain swept across central and southwestern China. Caixin Global also reported nine deaths and 11 missing, and said China had issued its first red alert for mountain floods this year.
How each outlet framed it
- RTHK — the hard data: rainfall totals, emergency levels for each district and a forecast of more heavy rain.
- Reuters — the toll and the context of a deadly week of rain across China.
- Caixin Global — the wider meaning, saying the disaster underscores China's growing vulnerability to sudden, highly local climate extremes.
Where the numbers differ: early counts of the missing ranged from 19 (RTHK, Sunday) to 11 (Reuters and Caixin, Monday) as people were found.