Hengzhou flood deaths hit 39 as reservoirs breach in southern China

The death toll from Typhoon Maysak's flooding in southern China rose to 39, with most casualties concentrated in Hengzhou, Guangxi, where three reservoirs breached this week. Another 23 people remain missing, local authorities said Wednesday.

Footage from Yunbiaozhen, a township in the Hengzhou area, shows streets submerged under brown floodwater. Cars sit overturned or stranded. Emergency crews wade through neighborhoods delivering supplies as water levels begin to recede in some parts.

Maysak brought heavy rain across Guangxi, triggering severe flooding around Nanning. The Liulan and Yunbiao reservoirs in Hengzhou overflowed and suffered breaches. The Liuwang Reservoir in Binyang county also overtopped, officials said.

"I was working here when the flood came very quickly. I didn't have time to evacuate. The water rose suddenly. I immediately climbed a tree. I didn't dare to come down. I could only call for help," one local resident, Mr Liang, recalled.

Around 130,000 people have been evacuated or moved to safer areas. About 375,000 residents across Guangxi have been affected, according to the provincial emergency management bureau.

Authorities have deployed more than 8,000 rescue and relief workers, along with 5,700 boats and drones, as teams try to reach residents cut off by floodwater, deliver supplies and restore basic services.