Death toll in northwestern China flash floods rises to 25: state media

The toll from a flash flood in northwest China has risen to 25 dead, with 23 injured, state media reported Sunday a week after the disaster. Flooding in Shuangshimen Scenic Area in Gansu Province. Photo: AllenLeo89064, via X. The flood ripped through the Shuangshimen Scenic Area, a tourist spot popular with day campers, on July 26, with state media initially reporting 10 deaths and 23 injured. The updated toll came as the country’s national commission for disaster prevention said it would oversee an investigation into the event, Xinhua said. Shuangshimen — in mountainous southern Gansu — is known for its natural stone arches, alpine meadows and mountain streams. Videos of the flooding showed torrents of water surging through a valley where several tents and cars were parked. China has been hit hard by extreme weather this summer, with large swathes of the country experiencing flooding. In July, storms in Hubei province killed at least 11 people, while six died and 130,000 people were evacuated in the southern Guangxi region after several dams were breached following torrential rainfall. The same month, a landslide in Gansu’s Dangchang County, also in the province’s south, killed 21. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Dateline:Beijing, China Type of Story: News ServiceProduced externally by an organization we trust to adhere to high journalistic standards. Agence France-Press (AFP) is "a leading global news agency providing fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the events shaping our world and of the issues affecting our daily lives." HKFP relies on AFP, and its international bureaus, to cover topics we cannot. Read their Ethics Code here More by AFP