Death toll rises to six in China mountain torrent

Nanning, May 25 (IANS) Rescue teams have found three more bodies, bringing the death toll to six following the mountain torrent that struck a village in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said on Sunday.

The disaster hit Sanshe Village in Longsheng county, Guilin City, early Friday morning, Xinhua news agency reported.

Nine search and rescue teams have been deployed to carry out the rescue operations. As of 6 p.m. Sunday, two people remain missing.

The search efforts remain intense and orderly, with all parties continuing high-intensity sweeps, according to local authorities.

Due to its geography and various climates, China is exposed to an array of natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods, forest fires, and typhoons.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, at least four people died and 17 remain missing after torrential rain triggered landslides in China's southwestern Guizhou province.

The military was deployed to assist in rescue efforts.

Two died in Changshi township, and two from nearby Qingyang village, where 19 people from eight different households were initially trapped after being hit by a landslide.

China is facing hotter and longer heatwaves and more frequent and unpredictable heavy rain as a result of climate change.

The country is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, authorities have said, because of its huge population.

Authorities initiated their third-highest emergency response for heavy rain in mountainous Guizhou as well as the nearby provinces of Hunan and Jiangxi.

More than 400 emergency staff, including military officers and firefighters, were sent to assist in the rescue mission.

--IANS

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