A flash flood in China’s Inner Mongolia has killed eight people and left four others missing, state media reported on Sunday.
According to Xinhua, a group of 13 people were camping in Urat Rear Banner when the flood struck around 10 p.m. on Saturday (1400 GMT). One person was rescued, while search operations for the missing are still underway.
The Ministry of Emergency Management has ordered full-scale rescue efforts, sent a working group to the site, and called for verification of the missing, state broadcaster CCTV said.
China regularly faces natural disasters during the summer months, when some regions are hit by heavy rains while others endure extreme heat.
Earlier in August, at least 13 people were killed in flash floods and mudslides in the country’s northwest. Last month, torrential rains in Beijing left 44 dead, mostly in the city’s rural suburbs, while eight others were killed in a landslide in neighboring Hebei province.
Scientists warn that climate change driven by human activity is fueling more extreme weather, making destructive floods increasingly likely.