BEIJING, June 20, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Tens of thousands of people have been 
evacuated in the central Chinese province of Hunan due to heavy rain, 
Beijing's state media said Friday, as the country endures a summer of extreme 
weather.

State news agency Xinhua said that as of 5:00 pm (0900 GMT) Friday, more than 
53,000 people have been evacuated across Hunan.

Areas in the province are expected to experience torrential rain, with the 
downpour in some isolated areas predicted to be "extremely heavy", Xinhua 
said, citing local weather departments.

Some parts of Hunan have seen precipitation exceeding 400 millimeters (16 
inches) since Wednesday, the state-run news agency said.

The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) also warned that southern and 
central parts of the country will experience heavy rain on Saturday, pointing 
to "significant threat of mountain flood disasters" in some areas, Xinhua 
reported.

The warning comes days after nearly 70,000 people in southern China were 
evacuated after heavy flooding caused by Typhoon Wutip.

And last month, swathes of northern and central China sweltered under record 
May heat, with temperatures rising well above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees 
Fahrenheit) in several major cities.

China has endured spates of extreme weather events from searing heat and 
drought to downpours and floods for several summers running.

The country is the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter but also a 
renewable energy powerhouse, seeking to cut carbon dioxide emissions to net 
zero by 2060.

Torrential rains last August, triggered by Typhoon Gaemi, which moved from 
the Philippines and Taiwan to make landfall in eastern China, killed at least 
30 people and left dozens missing.