BEIJING (Reuters) - At least three more people have died in heavy rains in northern China, state media said on Tuesday 19 August 2025, taking the death toll to thirteen in recent storms across the region, with five still missing and no let-up in rain forecast.
Downpours heavier than usual have battered parts of China in extreme weather since July, with the East Asian monsoon rains stalling over its north and south.
Three bodies were retrieved from flood waters in the Inner Mongolia city of Ordos, the official news agency Xinhua said, while three people were reported missing about 70 km away near the banks of the Yellow River.
The downpour on Monday 18 August was the first of three forecast for the next few days, television news said.
It dumped more than 204 mm of rain in less than 24 hours on the district where the bodies were found, or more than double the monthly average for August, weather authorities said.
On Saturday 16 August, a flash flood after a river burst its banks in the region's grasslands killed at least ten people, sweeping away thirteen campers on the outskirts of the city of Bayannur, about 350 km northwest of Ordos. One of those was rescued, but two are missing.
Rescue workers are scouring for the three missing people in Ordos, in an area that is also close to one of China's rare earth hubs, the city of Baotou.
Heavy rainfall and severe floods that meteorologists link to climate change pose major challenges for authorities, threatening to overwhelm ageing flood defences, displace millions and lead to economic losses running into billions.
