United News of Bangladesh

  Flooding caused by days of heavy rain in southern China has killed at least 39 people, authorities said Thursday, as another powerful storm approaches the country's eastern coast and Taiwan. Most of the deaths occurred in Hengzhou, where part of a reservoir dam collapsed, sending floodwaters into nearby communities and killing 26 people, said Ding Wei, vice mayor of Nanning, which oversees the area. Nine people are still missing across the Guangxi region. Tropical Storm Maysak brought record rainfall to Guangxi from Saturday, causing reservoirs to overflow, flooding homes and leaving many people stranded for days. Authorities had earlier reported six deaths on Tuesday, but the toll has since risen sharply. Meanwhile, Typhoon Bavi is moving northwest across the sea and is expected to pass near remote Japanese islands before moving north of Taiwan and making landfall in China's Fujian or Zhejiang province on Saturday. Fishing boats crowded ports in northern Taiwan on Thursday as residents prepared for heavy rain and strong winds. Although Bavi weakened from a super typhoon on Thursday, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said it was still packing maximum sustained winds of 184 kilometres (114 miles) per hour. In the Philippines, classes were suspended in several cities and towns, while ships were barred from leaving northern ports as the storm passed east of Luzon. In flood-hit Guangxi, military rescue teams completed the evacuation of more than 10,000 students and teachers trapped in several schools in Guigang city, about 60 kilometres northeast of Hengzhou. Footage aired by state broadcaster CCTV showed students wearing orange life jackets boarding rescue boats as floodwaters surrounded school buildings. The flooding also affected wildlife and domestic animals. A zoo in Guigang reported that more than 100 animals, including two zebras, four porcupines and dozens of tropical birds, were missing after the flood. In Hengzhou, authorities warned residents about snakes believed to have escaped from a farm. They stocked up on anti-venom and issued safety advice on snake bites. An animal shelter in Binyang County, around 75 kilometres northwest of Hengzhou, worked to rescue about 200 cats and dozens of dogs. Shelter workers carried dogs through deep floodwater while cats climbed onto roof beams to escape the rising water. Authorities said drones and around 5,700 boats have been used in large-scale rescue efforts to deliver drinking water and other emergency supplies and evacuate stranded residents. Around 130,000 people have been moved to safer places. Ding said floodwaters are gradually receding, but more rain is forecast in some areas over the next two days. Cleanup crews have been deployed to remove mud and debris and disinfect affected towns in Hengzhou. Road repairs are continuing, while electricity has already been restored to more than 60,000 households. China's National Meteorological Center said parts of Guangxi received between 10 and 40 centimetres (4 to 16 inches) of rain over the past several days, with some of the worst-hit areas recording more than 90 centimetres (35 inches). Severe weather also struck central China's Hubei province earlier this week, where thunderstorms and tornadoes killed 11 people and left many others homeless. Elsewhere in Asia, landslides triggered by monsoon rains have killed at least 13 Rohingya refugees in camps in Bangladesh this week, with authorities continuing efforts to move vulnerable families to safer locations.  

Typhoon Saola made landfall in southern China before dawn Saturday after nearly 900,000 people were moved to safety and most of Hong Kong and other parts of coastal southern China suspended business, transport and classes. Guangdong province's meteorological bureau said the powerful storm churned into an outlying district of the city of Zhuhai, just south of Hong Kong at 3:30 a.m. It was forecast to move in a southwesterly direction along the Guangdong coast at a speed of around 17 kph (10 mph), gradually weakening before heading out to sea. Philippines warns of possible flooding, landslides as Typhoon Mawar slowly passes to north On Friday, 780,000 people in Guangdong were moved away from areas at risk as did 100,000 others in neighboring Fujian province. More than 80,000 fishing vessels returned to port. Workers stayed at home and students in various cities saw the start of their school year postponed to next week. Trading on Hong Kong’s stock market was suspended Friday and hundreds of people were stranded at the airport after about 460 flights were canceled in the key regional business and travel hub. Rail authorities in mainland China halted all trains entering or leaving Guangdong province from Friday night to Saturday evening, state television CCTV reported. Typhoon Mawar closes in on Guam as residents shelter, military sends away ships The Hong Kong Observatory had issued a No. 10 hurricane alert, the highest warning under the city’s weather system. It was the first No. 10 warning since Super Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong in 2018. The observatory said Saola — with maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour — came its closest to the financial hub at around 11 p.m. Friday, skirting about 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the city’s Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district. The storm’s eyewall, which surrounds its eye, was moving across the city overnight, “posing a high threat” to the territory, the agency said. By Saturday, morning, it said, maximum sustained wind speeds had fallen to 145 kilometers (90 miles) per hour. The observatory warned of serious flooding in coastal areas and said the maximum water level might be similar to when Mangkhut felled trees and tore scaffolding off buildings in the city. In recent months, China has experienced some of its heaviest rains and deadliest flooding in years in various regions, with dozens killed, including in outlying mountainous parts of the capital, Beijing. Guam braces for hit from Typhoon Mawar as storm heads toward Pacific US territory As the storm's heavy rains and strong winds closed in on Hong Kong, about 400 people sought refuge at temporary shelters and ferry and bus services halted. Residents of low-lying areas placed sandbags at their doors hoping to prevent their homes from being flooded. Dozens of trees were knocked down, and seven people were injured and sought treatment at public hospitals. Classes at all schools were to remain suspended Saturday. Some residents, including security guard Shirley Ng, still had to go to work Friday. Ng said people were stocking up on food to prepare for the storm. “I just hope that the typhoon won’t cause causalities,” she said. Weather authorities in the nearby gambling hub of Macao also warned of flooding, forecasting that water levels might reach 1.5 meters (5 feet) in low-lying areas Saturday morning. The cross-border bridge connecting Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai city was closed at midafternoon. Macao leader Ho Iat Seng ordered a halt to casino operations. Another storm, Haikui, was gradually moving toward eastern China. Coupled with the influence of Saola, parts of Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces would experience strong winds and heavy rains, the meteorological administration said. It predicted Haikui would hit Taiwan’s east coast Sunday. Dozens of domestic flights were canceled along with air services to Hong Kong and Macao. Despite the twin storms, China's military conducted more operations Friday night and early Saturday meant to intimidate Taiwan, a self-ruled island democracy that Beijing seeks to bring under Chinese sovereignty by force if necessary. Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it had detected six Chinese military aircraft and three naval vessels around Taiwan during the 24 hours leading up to 6 a.m. Saturday. It said the island's armed forces were monitoring the situation and put aircraft, navy vessels and land-based missile systems on alert. However, it said there were no indications that the Chinese ships or aircraft had crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait or entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone as they often do. Saola passed just south of Taiwan on Wednesday before turning toward mainland China, with its outer bands hitting the island’s southern cities with torrential rain. The typhoon also lashed the Philippines earlier this week, displacing tens of thousands of people in the northern part of the islands because of flooding.

At least four people have died in the collapse of a workers’ dormitory in the southern Chinese province of Jiangxi, state media report. The six-story building in the province’s Ganjiang New District tumbled down Monday evening, they said. The building housed workers who had originally worked at a local pharmaceutical plant and most of the residents were elderly, according to state broadcaster CCTV and other outlets. The building was constructed in 1995 mainly out of prefabricated slabs and was considered to be poor quality, they said. Also read: Search ends in Chinese hotel collapse that killed 17 people Photos and video showed rescue crews searching through a pile of rubble under floodlights. Part of the building, one of several identical structures in the compound, remained standing. China has sought to improve construction quality and industrial safety with the threat of prosecution, but accidents still occur as companies cut corners to save costs. Aging infrastructure is also a growing problem, with gas line explosions a particular threat, along with weak adherence to safety standards for the handling of volatile chemicals. Also read: Nigeria building collapse deaths climb to 36, dozens missing

Deep in the lush mountain valleys of southern China lies the entrance to a mine shaft that once harbored bats with the closest known relative of the COVID-19 virus.