Guangxi, China, was hit by flooding, and both official and civilian rescue teams deployed drones to participate in rescue efforts, delivering supplies, and even using drones to ‘hoist people’ in some cases.
According to The Paper, due to the impact of the year’s 10th typhoon “Maysak”, Nanning City in Guangxi experienced torrential downpours, triggering floods. On Monday (July 6), a tank truck was trapped by floodwaters in Yunbiao Town, Hengzhou City. Fire rescue personnel used a drone to lift the driver, successfully helping him escape from danger. Related videos spread online.
On July 7, flooding over two meters deep in Wangzhuang Village, Yunbiao Town, Hengzhou City, turned it into an “island.” A villager suffering from a recurrence of a chronic illness urgently needed medical treatment. The civilian Gongyang Rescue Team deployed a heavy-duty cargo drone together with boats, and also successfully transported the trapped patient using an “aerial hoisting (hoisting people)” method. A Gongyang Rescue Team worker later explained: “In principle, using drones to transport people is only done under extremely urgent circumstances.”
In principle, industrial and agricultural drones are prohibited from carrying people. In March this year, DJI announced that a drone operator in Chongqing had violated regulations by using an agricultural drone to transport a person up a mountain, lifting ground staff to more than 10 meters above the ground, creating a major safety risk; DJI revoked the operator’s license.
According to Caixin, DJI said that in emergency situations, such as when people trapped by floods are at immediate risk of being swept away, drone pilots may use drones to evacuate personnel if approved by the on-site emergency command. A relevant representative noted that the use of drones to transport people is still handled with great caution, and in actual rescue operations, drones mainly perform cargo delivery tasks.
According to reports, DJI launched a new model of agricultural drone in April 2026, with a maximum payload of 200 kilograms. This means a drone can lift two adults.
Although some people question the risks of hoisting people, the majority of public opinion is supportive. The phrase “In principle, no transporting people, but the people are the principle” once trended on Weibo’s hot search list.
Although some people question the risks of hoisting people, the majority of public opinion is supportive. The phrase “In principle, no transporting people, but the people are the principle” once trended on Weibo’s hot search list.