[chris]

On May 18, Shimen County in Changde City, Hunan Province, was hit by catastrophic flooding after days of torrential rain.

The rain triggered flash floods, overflowing rivers, and landslides across the mountainous region. The flooding escalated overnight, submerging towns and villages, destroying houses, bridges, and other infrastructure, and sweeping away vehicles.

Thousands of residents fled their homes in the middle of the night as muddy floodwaters overwhelmed communities.