Southern China is facing a deadly start to its 2026 flood season after a pickup truck carrying farm workers fell into a rain-swollen river in Guangxi, leaving four people dead and six others missing.
The accident happened on Saturday in Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County, a rural area in the Guangxi region, as heavy rain continued to batter parts of southern, central and eastern China. The vehicle was carrying 15 workers to a sweet potato farm when it tried to cross a low bridge and plunged into the river. Five people were rescued, while search teams continued looking for the remaining passengers.
Authorities launched a major emergency operation after the crash, deploying more than 700 rescue workers with drones, dinghies and underwater sonar equipment. Rescue crews were also working to locate and recover the truck, with swollen river levels and poor weather conditions making the search more difficult.
The incident has become one of the most serious accidents linked to Chinaâs first large and prolonged rainfall event of 2026. Emergency flood responses were activated in Guangdong and Guizhou after forecasters warned of persistent heavy rain from 15 May to 19 May. The storm system also affected Jiangxi, Hunan and Hubei, bringing risks of mountain torrents, river flooding and severe waterlogging in urban areas.
Chinaâs National Meteorological Centre warned that the rain belt was expected to keep shifting eastward and southward, raising the danger for small and medium-sized rivers as well as low-lying towns. Such warnings are particularly serious in rural regions, where roads, bridges and farm routes are often more exposed to fast-rising floodwater.
The Guangxi tragedy shows how quickly a routine journey can become fatal during extreme weather. Low bridges are especially dangerous because floodwater can cover the road surface while strong currents continue moving underneath. Even heavy vehicles can lose traction or be pushed off course when water levels rise suddenly.
Chinaâs emergency management ministry said rescue and disaster response work was being guided by the principle of âpeople first and life firstâ. Officials also urged local departments to strengthen inspections and prevent further rain-related accidents as the weather system continues to move across the country.
In Hubei province, Jingzhou city suspended work and business activity as part of its flood emergency response. Tourist attractions were closed, and schools were told to halt outdoor classes. Footage carried by Chinese state media showed rescue teams using boats to move through submerged streets after floodwater spread across parts of the city.
Nearby Yichang also reported exceptionally heavy rainfall, with local media saying the weekend downpour broke a 36-year record. The intensity of the rain has added pressure on local flood-control systems before China reaches the peak of its summer flood season.
According to the Associated Press, the pickup truck had been transporting workers to a sweet potato farm when it fell from a low-water bridge in Guangxi, with hundreds of rescuers sent to the scene.
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The latest flooding follows another severe rain event in April, when the southern city of Qinzhou was hit by rare storms that forced more than 200 residents to evacuate. Together, the incidents point to growing safety concerns as repeated heavy rain events affect transport, farming communities and urban areas across southern China.
Swikblog has also reported on other recent flood and storm emergencies, including severe storms and flash flood risks in New York, as extreme weather continues to disrupt communities in different parts of the world.
Rescue work in Guangxi remained active as authorities monitored water levels and weather warnings. Residents in affected provinces have been advised to avoid flooded bridges, riverside roads and low-lying areas until conditions improve.
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