Dozens killed, snakes on the loose after flooding from days of heavy rain in southern China

Authorities in southern China said Thursday that 39 people died in flooding after a tropical storm dumped heavy rainfall, as Taiwan and China’s east coast prepared for a typhoon expected to make landfall in the coming days.

BEIJING — Authorities in southern China said Thursday that 39 people died in flooding after a tropical storm dumped heavy rainfall, as Taiwan and China’s east coast prepared for a typhoon expected to make landfall in the coming days.

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

Most of the deaths were in Hengzhou, where the partial collapse of a reservoir dam sent torrents of water into the city and claimed 26 lives, said Ding Wei, the vice mayor of Nanning city, which has jurisdiction over the area, said at a news briefing. Nine people remained missing in the broader Guangxi region.

Houses in China’s southwest Guangxi region that were damaged when a reservoir collapsed last week.Greg Baker / AFP via Getty ImagesTropical Storm Maysak brought record rainfall to Guangxi starting Saturday, breaching reservoirs and stranding people for days in homes and other buildings. The previously announced death toll on Tuesday was six people.