After the recent severe drought that brought hardship to Yunnan province, the time has come for the annual rains to wreak havoc across the region.

Zhaotong

Earlier this week, three people got killed when Zhaotong flooded — a prefecture prone to suffering from extreme downpours. The water level of the Baishui river rose more than eight meters overnight, causing houses to collapse, crops to be destroyed, infrastructure to be severely damaged and vehicles to be swept away by the floods. Thousands of people have been affected.

In happier news, a heavily pregnant woman who was transported to a hospital in Zhaotong gave birth to a healthy baby — while floating on an inflated tyre that was used to get her safely across the flooded streets. Mother and baby are reportedly healthy.

Myanmar Jade mine disaster

Just across the border, in Myanmar's northern Kachin state, more than 160 people lost their lives when a gigantic landslide took jade pickers who were sifting rubble in an open pit jade mine by surprise. The death toll makes the disaster the worst known in the