12 died in China flash floods, thousands evacuated

Beijing: At least 12 people died and thousands have been evacuated to safer places after heavy rains triggered flash floods in south-west and north-west China, The Guardian reported.

In the south-western province of Sichuan, six people reportedly died while the north-western province of Gansu reported another six deaths.

As many as 1,300 people had been evacuated as of Saturday.

The rains that came amid a heatwave in some parts of the country was so sudden, continuing to pour for 1½ days in the worst-affected areas, that flash floods were triggered.

Heatwave affected eastern Zhejiang province and the city of Shanghai, with temperatures often hitting 42C (107.6F) last week.

Experts attribute the rains and floods to climate change as extreme weather events frequently happen.

Warmer air can store more water, leading to bigger cloudbursts when it is released, The Guardian said.

Many countries frequently face extreme weather. Heavy rains and subsequent floods affected several parts of India recently.

Forest fires are giving headaches to firefighters in Portugal, Spain, France, Greece and Morocco.

Heatwave causes extreme temperatures reportedly leading to hundreds of deaths across south-western Europe.

The vast devastation brought about by the rains and flash floods adds to economic crisis that China is facing following its strict Covid policies.