BEIJING — The death toll from a mudslide triggered by days of torrential rain from Typhoon Saudel has climbed to three in Jiangxi province, eastern China, while nine others remain missing as rescue teams continue searching through damaged homes and debris.
The mudslide struck part of a village in Suichuan County, Ji’an City, early Saturday, September 5, after persistent heavy rainfall saturated the area. About a dozen houses were damaged in the disaster, according to Chinese state media cited by the Associated Press.
Rescuers initially recovered one fatality, while two additional bodies were found Sunday, bringing the mudslide death toll to three. Nine people remained unaccounted for, prompting authorities to continue search-and-rescue operations in the affected community.
Thousands evacuated as danger spreads
The disaster came as Saudel dumped intense rainfall across parts of eastern and southern China.
More than 5,300 people in Jiangxi were relocated to safer areas, while authorities continued to warn of additional dangers from landslides, flooding and other rain-related disasters.
The storm’s impact was not limited to Jiangxi.
In neighboring Fujian province, authorities reported massive evacuations as torrential rain battered communities. Xinhua reported that 599,300 residents had been evacuated from risky coastal and inland areas by Friday night, while provincial authorities allocated 210 million yuan, or about US$31 million, for emergency rescue, disaster relief and recovery.
More deaths reported in Hunan
The typhoon’s wider impact was also felt in Hunan province, where state broadcaster CCTV reported two additional deaths following heavy rainfall.
Authorities said the downpours triggered landslides and other disasters, although the reports did not specify the exact circumstances of those two deaths. The fatalities therefore should be distinguished from the three confirmed deaths from the Jiangxi mudslide.
Another fatality was separately reported after a landslide struck a different village in Jiangxi, but Xinhua did not establish whether that incident was directly connected to Saudel.
Saudel makes multiple landfalls
Typhoon Saudel has taken an unusual path across the region.
According to Xinhua, the storm made two landfalls in Zhejiang province on August 28 before making a third landfall in Zhangpu County, Fujian province, on September 3, this time as a tropical storm. The provinces affected by its landfalls border Jiangxi, where the deadly mudslide occurred.
When Saudel reached Fujian, maximum sustained winds near its center were reported at about 23 meters per second, or roughly 83 km/h. Authorities warned of strong winds and heavy to torrential rain, prompting widespread evacuations and emergency measures.
Reuters reported that flooding also damaged infrastructure in Fujian, with emergency responders rescuing residents from deep floodwaters. A three-story building collapsed in Jinxi village, while flooding affected communities in Putian and surrounding areas.
Rescue operation continues
The immediate priority in Jiangxi remains locating the nine people still missing.
Rescue teams are working in difficult conditions where heavy rainfall has increased the risk of additional landslides and made already-damaged areas more dangerous.
Authorities have also continued evacuating residents from vulnerable communities as they monitor the possibility of further flooding and slope failures.
The disaster highlights the cascading risks that can follow a powerful tropical system: even after a storm weakens, saturated soil, swollen rivers and unstable mountain slopes can continue to threaten communities for days.
For families in Suichuan County, however, the focus remains on the nine people still missing — as rescuers race to search the debris before worsening conditions make the operation even more difficult.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.S
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