Heavy floods submerge roads, vehicles in northern China

Severe flooding ⁠in China’s northern Hebei province and northeastern Liaoning Province submerged roads and swept away cars, while people swam and paddle-boarded along neighbourhood streets, videos on social media showed.

Water levels rose to more ‌than two metres on roads in Kuancheng, a county in Hebei, according to a resident’s account that was broadcast by local official media. Kuancheng ‌is home to around 240,000 people and is located on the banks ‌of the Luan River.

Several cars were filmed crashing into each other ⁠in Kuancheng as they bobbed up and down a waterlogged road before being carried away by the strength of the current.

The floods came after Typhoon Bavi, the most powerful storm to strike mainland ​China this year, brought heavy rain ‌to the eastern coast and violent winds to the area’s densely populated cities, testing the country’s ability to cope with extreme weather.