In brief
The violent passage of Typhoon Maysak over China’s Guangxi region caused the reservoir wall at the Jiuzhai Dam to burst in Nanning, flooding the surrounding plains. Early reports claim at least two fatalities, and local authorities have declared the situation the highest level of emergency. Evacuations are underway and rescue crews are battling heavy water. Residents are advised to avoid low‑lying areas and heed official warnings, while engineers assess the structural damage.
The two‑month‑old typhoon, known as Maysak, made landfall over China’s Guangxi autonomy on Thursday, unleashing torrential rains that swelled local rivers to overflowing levels. The surge forced the wall of the Jiuzhai Reservoir in Nanning to fail, sending a massive torrent downstream.
Officials confirmed that at least two people were killed by the sudden flood, and they raised the emergency response to the highest atmospheric pressure level the region has seen in the past decade.
Search and rescue teams are on the scene, working to locate survivors in flooded neighborhoods and to secure the damaged dam. Authorities urge residents in nearby districts to remain vigilant, avoid low‑lying areas, and follow evacuation orders.
Hydrologists say that the typhoon’s intensity, combined with heavy rainfall over the reservoir’s catchment area, created conditions that exceeded the dam’s design capacity. Engineers will need to assess the extent of the breach and plan reconstruction efforts.
The incident highlights the increasing vulnerability of China’s infrastructure to extreme weather events. Monitoring agencies continue to issue warnings about potential further flooding as the storm continues to exert pressure on the region.