China Floods Leave 39 Dead and Spark Warnings Over Escaped Animals

The death toll from severe flooding and a reservoir collapse in southern China's Guangxi region has climbed to 39, with nine people still missing.

The disaster highlights the vulnerability of the region's rural infrastructure to extreme weather while unleashing unusual secondary hazards, including displaced venomous snakes and escaped zoo animals.

The Liulan Reservoir breach in the regional capital of Nanning accounted for the majority of the fatalities, claiming 26 lives, Vice Mayor Ding Wei told a Thursday press briefing. Authorities cautioned that the number of dead and missing could overlap as victim identification continues.