Due to the impact of Typhoon Bavi, heavy rain hit Kuancheng Manchu Autonomous County in Chengde City, Hebei Province, China from the evening of the 12th to the 13th, with floodwaters reaching 2 to 3 meters high. A large number of vehicles were swept away on urban streets, and there were suspicions that some cars still had people trapped inside.
On July 12, local authorities successively issued red alerts for heavy rain and geological disasters, as well as an orange alert for mountain floods. The rainfall continued until around 11:00 p.m. on the 12th.
According to multiple messages on Chinese social media platform Weibo, roads in nine villages in Kuancheng Manchu Autonomous County were destroyed by the heavy rain. The local jet ski club began rescue efforts at around 1 a.m. on the 13th, helping more than 100 people to safety when floodwaters reached 3 meters.
Ms. Qiao, the owner of a hardware store in Kuancheng Manchu Autonomous County, revealed that floodwaters on the streets outside reached more than 2 meters. She said she had never encountered such a severe flood before, and many items in her store were washed away.
Videos widely circulated on social media show a street in Kuancheng turned into a rushing river, with muddy yellow floodwaters sweeping away numerous cars. Internet users exclaimed that there appeared to be someone still inside a red sedan, but it is unclear whether the person trapped later made it to safety.
A villager in Xibingyao Village, Kuancheng Town, said in a video that heavy rainfall caused water and power outages locally, with some people trapped due to the deep water, urgently in need of rescue.