By Ijeoma Agbafo
Severe flooding triggered by the remnants of Tropical Storm Maysak has forced about 130,000 people to evacuate in China’s Guangxi region, while nearly 900 snakes, including venomous cobras, escaped from a breeding farm after floodwaters destroyed the facility in Hengzhou.
Chinese authorities said six people had been confirmed dead and 11 others were missing as of Tuesday evening, with many residents still awaiting rescue following days of record rainfall that inundated towns and villages across the region.
The flooding overwhelmed rivers and reservoirs, disrupted transport services and left many communities without electricity and running water, prompting large-scale rescue operations involving thousands of emergency workers.
Local reports said the snakes escaped after floodwaters breached a snake breeding farm in Dengwei village, Yunbiao township, Hengzhou, adding a new challenge for residents already grappling with the impact of the disaster.
Officials warned residents to avoid attempting to catch the reptiles by hand, as some of the escaped animals were venomous, and deployed teams to search for and capture them.
The storm, which was the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in China in 2026, brought torrential rain to Hainan before moving through Guangxi, where authorities continued rescue and relief efforts amid warnings of further heavy rainfall.
