'The water just came so fast': Typhoon triggers floods and rare tornadoes in China

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, Fatal Typhoon Maysak floods burst dam wall in China By Joel Guinto Published 8 July 2026, 00:44 BST Updated 35 minutes ago On Sunday, heavy rain began falling on Renhe village in the southern Chinese province of Guangxi. The villagers were used to it. But the rain didn't stop - and the water suddenly rose. By the early hours of Monday, the water had reached their knees. By dawn, it had completely submerged the first floor of their homes. "The floods happened so rapidly, the water just came so fast. The villagers didn't have time to take food with them when they were running away," a woman from Renhe, whose surname is Zhou, told the BBC. Zhou's family is among tens of thousands of people in Guangxi displaced from their homes since Typhoon Maysak swept the region over the weekend, causing rivers to swell and dam walls to break. At least four people have died. The typhoon has inundated the city of Nanning and surrounding villages, with residents calling for rescue from their rooftops. It has also triggered thunderstorms, and even tornadoes, in the central province of Hubei - hundreds of kilometres away. At least 17 people have died, hundreds more have been injured and tens of thousands have been evacuated, according to state media. The devastation from days of extreme weather has prompted President Xi Jinping to order "all out" rescue and relief operations. Typhoons that cause widespread flooding are common in China at this time of the year and Maysak is the first to make landfall in the country for the 2026 season. State media said it has been characterised by "its sudden onset and intense, short-duration winds". Another storm, Super Typhoon Bavi, is churning across the Pacific, on course to hit China's eastern coast later this week, according to forecasts. Authorities in Nanning have warned that "extremely heavy rain" could hamper rescue efforts. Image source, Reuters Image caption, Torrents of muddy water swiftly engulfed homes in Nanning city in southern China 'We couldn't rescue everyone in time' Residents from Guangxi province have told the BBC that thousands remain trapped on rooftops, some in mountain villages, because of the floods. The official count estimates 60,000 people have been evacuated and at least 90,000 in total are affected by the deluge. Zhou, who is currently living in another province, said some of her family members are still trapped in their homes in Renhe and have limited food. Her four-month-old niece has gone for more than a day without milk. "Other villagers are gathering at higher ground, but they are running out of supplies as well. There are too many villages affected, and not enough rescue workers." Another woman, whose surname is Huang, from the town of Yunbiao said it took just 10 minutes for floods to submerge villages in her area. "We simply couldn't rescue everyone in time. There were too few rescue pe