Typhoon Maysak has devastated southern China, killing at least 17 people, displacing tens of thousands, and unleashing hundreds of snakes from a breeding farm. The severe weather struck just a week into China's flood season, which began in July, with heavy rainfall and flooding pummelling large areas of the country's southern provinces.
Casualties and Evacuations in Guangxi
Authorities in the southern region of Guangxi confirmed at least six deaths, 11 people missing, and 130,000 residents displaced. Chinese social media platform Weibo is flooded with desperate posts from people trying to locate loved ones living in or visiting the affected areas. Typhoon Maysak also whipped up thunderstorms and gale-force winds that killed 11 people and injured 330 more in the central province of Hubei, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Snakes on the Loose
In eastern Guangxi, locals face an additional threat: more than 900 snakes escaped from a breeding farm in a village in Heng County. Footage of snakes slithering through raging floodwaters has spread online, though many clips remain unverified. Local official Wu Zhi told Red Star News most of the snakes are non-venomous, and a team of 10 people has been formed to catch the escapees using fishing nets and stun guns. One video appears to show a deadly cobra with its hood flared at the person filming. A villager was bitten and is being treated in hospital, while a dozen locals have also formed a team to catch the snakes, according to the Hongxing report. Zhi urged locals not to try catching snakes with their hands if they find them sheltering in their homes. Snake farms are lucrative in China, raising animals for food, traditional medicine, and leather.
Landslide in Gansu and Other Impacts
Authorities are searching for 16 people missing after a landslide in the western province of Gansu on Tuesday morning. In Hubei, one of the worst-affected areas was Huanggang city, where winds were so strong they sucked a 30-year-old man and some of his belongings, including his sofa and cabinets, from his 12th-floor apartment. He is receiving hospital care. Chinese President Xi Jinping said “full efforts” will be made to minimise casualties, organising rescues, treatment for the injured, and disaster relief for those impacted by flooding and the landslide.
