Rescuers use a heavy duty machine to clear rubble to search for trapped victims at the scene of a landslide in Pengshui county, Southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality on July 19, 2026. Photo: VCG

China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) on Sunday evening continued to issue blue alerts for rainstorms and severe convective weather, along with a yellow alert for geological disaster risks, as a new round of torrential rainfall is sweeping across parts of China. 

Heavy to torrential rainfall is forecast from Sunday night through Monday across multiple regions including Southwest China's Yunnan Province, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Central China's Hubei Province. Chinese authorities have ordered nationwide inspections of geological disaster risks and strengthened prevention measures as the country enters its critical late July and early August flood season, when extreme rainfall and overlapping natural hazards are expected to keep disaster risks elevated.

Four Chinese government departments have jointly issued a notice outlining measures to strengthen inspections of geological disaster risks and hidden hazards, urging authorities to step up disaster prevention and response efforts, Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. 

The notice said that recent deadly landslides in Dangchang county, Northwest China's Gansu Province - killing 21 - and Pengshui county, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality - killing 8 and leaving 34 missing so far - exposed shortcomings in routine geological hazard inspections, including insufficient coverage and failures to promptly detect and assess early warning signs. 

Although the latest round of heavy rainfall has eased since last Tuesday, Guangxi's flood control and drought relief authority maintained its Level I emergency response for natural disaster relief on Sunday. The authority urged local governments to strengthen monitoring, early warning systems, river embankment inspections and emergency evacuations to guard against river flooding, flash floods, urban waterlogging and other secondary disasters, per CCTV News.

As of 8:00 pm on Saturday, all power outages in Guangxi caused by Typhoon Maysak were restored. In Hengzhou and Guigang cities where Maysak's persistent heavy rains caused severe flooding, a major cleanup and mud removal campaign is underway. 

Meanwhile, Guangxi is expected to see frequent heavy rain from Sunday to Tuesday, with northern areas in the region facing torrential downpours. The local meteorological authority warned of potential secondary disasters, including flash floods, landslides and mudslides caused by persistent and intense rainfall, CCTV reported on Sunday, citing the local meteorological authority. 

The notice issued by four Chinese government departments urges stronger safeguards in high-risk areas affected by heavy rain, abundant groundwater and intensive construction, calling for timely risk assessments and multi-channel disaster warnings. It also requires authorities to promptly alert and evacuate at-risk residents, prioritize assistance for vulnerable groups, and ensure no one is left behind. 

Global Times