Xi Orders Rescue as Floods Hit Northwest China

President Xi Jinping has ordered a rescue operation in China's arid and mountainous northwest after a devastating series of flash floods claimed 10 lives and left 33 people missing. The floods were triggered by exceptionally heavy rain in Gansu province's Yuzhong county, with one mountainous area receiving 195mm of rain in just half the typical yearly amount in one hour.

The extreme weather event left many people stranded, highlighting the region's vulnerability to landslides and flooding due to loose loess soil becoming unstable when saturated. President Xi emphasized that the rescue effort is a top priority, urging every possible effort to search and rescue missing people, relocate and resettle those at risk, and minimize casualties.

The directive also warned local governments to avoid complacency and carelessness in the face of increasing extreme weather events across the country. The floods in Yuzhong are the latest in a series of deadly weather events in China, with heavy rain and flooding responsible for at least 60 deaths.