Southern China braces for severe flooding as eleven remain missing amid devastating storms

State media reported on Monday that eleven individuals are unaccounted for in the wake of storms that ravaged southern China, prompting the evacuation of tens of thousands away from the deluge.

The vast southern province of Guangdong has been inundated with heavy rain in recent days, causing rivers to swell and raising concerns of severe flooding described by state media as occurring "once in a century".

According to Xinhua, the state news agency, "A total of 11 people are missing after continuous heavy rainfall hit many parts of (Guangdong) in recent days," as reported by the local emergency management department.

Over 53,000 individuals have been relocated across the province, with more than 45,000 evacuated from the northern Guangdong city of Qingyuan, situated along the Bei River, a tributary of the wider Pearl River Delta, as stated in Sunday's reports by state media.

The heavy rain is anticipated to persist on Monday, with meteorological authorities forecasting "thunderstorms and strong winds in Guangdong's coastal waters", affecting major cities such as Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

The National Meteorological Centre indicated that neighboring provinces, including parts of Fujian, Guizhou, and Guangxi, will also experience "short-term heavy rainfall", with the main impact period expected to last from daytime until night.

Guangdong province, China's densely populated manufacturing hub, is home to approximately 127 million people.

In Jiangwan town, heavy rain on Sunday triggered landslides injuring six individuals and trapping others, as reported by state media. CCTV footage depicted homes along the waterfront destroyed by mudslides, with people seeking refuge in drenched public sports facilities.

CCTV also warned of floods reaching as high as 5.8 meters (19 feet) above the warning limit in Pearl River tributaries on Monday morning.

While China regularly experiences extreme weather events, recent years have seen the nation grappling with severe floods, prolonged droughts, and record-breaking heat, exacerbated by climate change driven by human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, with China being the world's largest emitter.