What’s new: Seven people died and another was injured after they were swept away by a sudden surge of water in a river in Southwest China, which may be linked to a discharge from an upstream reservoir.
The incident occurred Wednesday morning when 11 people were taking photos on a dam on the Longxi River in Ya’an, Sichuan province, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
An initial investigation found that Longxi’s waters began to surge around 8 a.m., growing about 1 meter higher over the next hour, according to a Wednesday statement from the city’s Yucheng district government. The 11 people swept away were all local women.
What’s more: Although local authorities said the cause of the surge remains under investigation, a local resident told Caixin that it may have been related to the release of water from an upstream reservoir.
Village official Wang Hongyun told Caixin the local neighborhood committee notified residents about the release Wednesday morning.
The tragedy is just one of the deadly incidents that have taken place across China in recent weeks, as many parts of the country, especially in the north, have been battered by heavy rains and flooding.
Since Tuesday, authorities in Ya’an and Yucheng have issued a series of alerts warning of torrential downpours and natural disasters such as landslides and flash floods.
Contact reporter Wang Xintong (xintongwang@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
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