Typhoon Maysak Triggers Deadly Floods and Tornadoes in China

Heavy rains from Typhoon Maysak triggered flash floods and tornadoes across parts of China over the weekend. The extreme weather has left at least 15 people dead, forced tens of thousands to evacuate, and severely damaged thousands of homes. In the southern province of Guangxi, floodwaters rose rapidly, submerging ground floors within hours. Official data indicates around 60,000 residents were evacuated and at least 90,000 people have been affected. Maysak is the first typhoon to hit China in the 2026 storm season. A villager surnamed Zhou from Renhe described the speed of the disaster to the BBC, stating, ‘The flood happened so fast, the water came very fiercely. The villagers didn’t have time to bring food when they fled.’ Zhou added that family members remain trapped at home with dwindling supplies, and the situation is worsened by power, internet, and communication outages. Another resident, surnamed Huang from Yunbiao, complained that a lack of personnel and small rescue boats slowed the evacuation. Adding to the crisis, state media reported that snakes from a commercial farm escaped into the floodwaters. Hundreds of kilometres away in Hubei Province, the typhoon spawned two rare tornadoes, killing 11 people and damaging thousands of buildings in the cities of Ezhou and Huanggang. In Huanggang, strong winds shattered the window of a high-rise apartment, throwing a man and his furniture from the 12th floor; he is currently in intensive care. A university student in Huanggang initially thought the storm was ordinary thunder rain until he saw debris flying outside his dormitory window. ‘Many students were injured by flying glass shards,’ he said. ‘It was only after everything stopped that I realised I had just escaped a disaster.’ The severe damage prompted President Xi Jinping to order an all-out rescue and relief operation, stressing the priority of treating the injured, resettling affected residents, and ensuring effective disaster prevention and response.