Twenty-one people have died with four still missing following record torrential rain in Liulin township, Central China's Hubei Province on Thursday, the latest Chinese region to suffer their heaviest rainfall ever this summer after the torrential rains and floods in Henan Province killed 302 people in July. 

Liulin township in Suixian county has been hit by heavy rain since Wednesday, with maximum precipitation in the township reaching 100 millimeters per hour from 5 am to 6 am on Thursday, the heaviest rain recorded since meteorological records began. The town, surrounded by mountains, recorded 3.5-meter-deep waterlogging which reached 5-meter-deep in some areas.

The township organized 30 people to knock on doors or use loudspeakers to help relocate local residents from 2 am on Thursday, as of time of press a total of 450 residents had been relocated. 

It is estimates that 8,000 residents were affected by the rain with 21 deaths and 4 missing  based on preliminary reports. More than 2,700 houses and shops were either flooded or damaged, including 221 structures which have collapsed, and 63 bridges which have suffered structural damage. Power and communications have also been disrupted.  

According to Hubei media, north of the province including Suizhou, Xiangyang and Xiaogan have all been hit by torrential rain since Wednesday, with Suizhou, Xiangyang and Xiaogan cities recording the heaviest rainfall. Many people have been trapped without access to power or a telephone signal.  

According to the website of the Ministry of Emergency Management, a specialist team had been dispatched to Hubei on late Thursday. 

This summer, many Chinese cities including those in Central China's Henan Province have been struck by record torrential rains causing significant economic and physical damage. . 

The death toll rocketed to 302 since downpours and floods hit Henan in mid-July, and 50 are still missing. 

According to the Blue Book on Climate Change in China 2021 released by the China Meteorological Administration last week, between 1961 and 2020, extreme heavy precipitation has seen a gradual rise, and extreme heat events have increased significantly in the country since the mid-1990s. Comprehensive climate observations and several key indicators reveal that temperatures continue to rise meaning the risk of extreme weather and climate events in China is growing.

Global Times