Rescuers evacuate thousands of students from flooded educational park in Guangxi
The deluge hit the city without warning, turning school corridors into rivers and classrooms into islands. In such moments, human life becomes the highest priority, and rescuers risk everything to pull those trapped from the water's grip. In Guigang, the water rose to six metres, and over ten thousand children spent days awaiting help. But hope is not lost — motorised pontoon bridges and rescue boats are already heading towards the submerged buildings.
On Thursday, rescuers stepped up efforts to evacuate thousands of students trapped in a flooded educational park in Guigang, in the southern part of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, using motorised pontoon bridges after days of torrential rain submerged many schools. The flooding, triggered by heavy rains that began on Monday under the influence of Typhoon Meisak, inundated part of the educational park, severely affecting several schools. By Thursday, water levels in the worst‑hit areas had reached 6‑7 metres, and even in the shallowest spots, the first floors of teaching buildings were submerged. Several schools lost electricity and water supplies, and internet connections remained unstable, leaving more than 10,000 students trapped inside the park.
Rescue teams delivered emergency supplies, including drinking water, food and medicine. According to local authorities, more than 40 professional and volunteer rescue teams joined the relief operation. As of Thursday, an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 students still needed evacuation, and rescuers planned to complete the evacuation later that day using motorised pontoon bridges and rescue boats.
Typhoon Meisak, which made landfall on China's southern coast last week, brought record rainfall to the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The educational park in Guigang — a large campus housing several schools — had been designated as a temporary shelter for students from other flooded areas, but the disaster caught up with it as well. Authorities mobilised all available resources, including military engineers, to set up pontoon crossings. As CCTV+ reports. Rescue operations are ongoing, and all remaining students are expected to be moved to safety by evening, where temporary shelters with hot meals and medical care have been set up.
