A dam at the Liulan reservoir in Guangxi province breached on July 6, unleashing floodwaters that killed four people and left eight missing across downstream communities. More than 100,000 residents were affected, with authorities evacuating and resettling 63,000 people by the following evening. In the adjacent village of Dutian, floodwaters destroyed the only bridge connecting it to the outside world, trapping roughly 200 villagers.
The disaster was driven by torrential rains from Typhoon Maysak, which triggered the dam failure near Nanning and prompted the highest-level flood warning. Localised power outages and communications blackouts hampered rescue efforts.
The Guangxi breach was part of a broader wave of deadly weather disasters across multiple Chinese provinces that have killed at least 38 people, including mudslides and tornadoes. Further disruption looms as Super Typhoon Bavi is expected to affect Taiwan and mainland China by July 11.