Death toll from south China floods jumps to 159

Flooded shops along a submerged riverside walk are seen by the overflowing Yongjiang river in Nanning, in China’s southern Guangxi region on July 7, 2026. (File photo: AFP)

BEIJING — The death toll from devastating floods in southern China last month jumped to 159 on Friday, state media reported, with ten people still missing.

Typhoon Maysak wreaked havoc across parts of southern China in July, bringing torrential rain and severe flooding to Guangxi, with state media reporting then that 39 people were killed in the region.

As of Friday, however, the disaster had "resulted in 159 deaths and 10 missing persons" state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) said.

It did not provide details on why an updated death toll was only announced six weeks after the floods took place.

"Reporters learnt from separate meetings held in Nanning and Guigang, Guangxi on Typhoon Maysak disaster recovery and reconstruction... that the disaster had affected more than 1.65 million people" across the two cities, CCTV added.

"Currently, both areas have fully entered the post-disaster recovery and reconstruction phase," it reported.

Twenty-six of the deaths reported in July were linked to a dam breach at Guangxi's Liulan Reservoir.