Floods in China and New Zealand leave dozens dead and hundreds of evacuees

Heavy rains have hit both China and New Zealand between Wednesday night and Thursday. At least 16 people have died in China. and another 36 remain missing after a flash flood in north China’s Qinghai province. While in New Zealand, in the South Island more than three hundred families have been evacuated and led some towns to declare a state of emergency.

The torrential rain began in China last night in a mountainous area of ​​Datong county, located in the northern part of the municipal district of the Qinghai capital, Xining.

Shortly after, the authorities declared a level 2 emergency, the second highest of the four into which China’s flood warning system is divided. Torrential floods have already left dozens of deaths since the beginning of the summer and more than a million victims in provinces such as Hunan, Sichuan and Gansu.

For its part, New Zealand is experiencing a powerful storm affecting the northern and western coast of the South Island and other areas such as Nelson, where the Matai River has already overflowed its banks.

The New Zealand authorities Rain forecast of 100 to 140 millimeters in Northland, the northernmost area of ​​the country, as well as the overflow of its Kaeo River, according to the country’s meteorological service MetService.