The death toll from Typhoon Maysak’s floods in southern China has risen to 159, according to an official update provided Wednesday, marking the first revision of casualty figures in six weeks. The typhoon, which struck in early July, has left 10 people still missing and impacted more than 1.65 million residents in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
Authorities in Nanning and Guigang, two cities significantly affected by the disaster, disclosed the updated figures during media briefings. In Nanning, 90 towns were hit by severe flooding, leading to the evacuation of 23,300 people. The city reported 136 deaths, with 107 attributed to the collapse of two dams. Guigang experienced evacuations of 20,500 residents and confirmed 23 fatalities.
Typhoon Maysak brought “historically rare, large-scale and persistent heavy rainfall” to Guangxi in early July, overwhelming local infrastructure and causing multiple reservoir breaches. The Liulan Reservoir suffered a catastrophic dam failure, resulting in at least 26 deaths during the initial aftermath. Officials have not explained the delay in updating the death toll since the last report on July 9, which recorded 59 fatalities and nine missing persons.
The typhoon initially made landfall over Hainan province on July 3 before striking again between Guangxi and Vietnam on July 4. The flooding cascaded across the region, with videos capturing torrents of muddy water inundating fields and leaving some residents stranded on rooftops. Notably, one man was rescued after being located by a drone amid the rising waters.
Flood damage extended beyond residential areas, affecting zoos, farms, and businesses throughout the region. In a rare incident, a woman died from a snake bite after more than 900 snakes escaped from a breeding farm due to the flooding.
In response to the disaster, local governments in Nanning and Guigang have pledged to complete recovery efforts within a year. Plans include strengthening flood control measures and enhancing reservoir safety to better withstand extreme weather events.
A recent provincial post-disaster conference highlighted deficiencies in the local government’s emergency management capabilities, especially regarding reservoir safety under extreme conditions. Leaders announced a three-year plan aimed at improving Guangxi’s resilience to severe weather.
China has faced a string of intense weather events this year, exacerbated by an emerging super El Niño phenomenon and long-term climate change. Following Maysak, typhoons Bavi, Noul, and Dolphin also affected various parts of southern, eastern, and northern China. While Bavi and Noul caused no reported fatalities on the mainland, Cyclone Dolphin triggered mudslides in Zhejiang province last week, resulting in one death and three missing persons.
China's National Meteorological Centre cautioned about Typhoon Saudel, currently located near Hainan, though it is not expected to impact mainland China until later this week. Meteorological experts warn that the approaching El Niño event may bring increased frequency and severity of typhoons, high ocean temperatures, and flooding risks in the coming months, potentially worsening conditions during the summer of 2027.