At least 10 die in northwestern China after flash floods

At least 10 people have died and 33 remain missing after flash foods in Yuzhong County in China's north central Gansu province, Chinese state media reported on Friday.

"From August 7, continuous heavy rain... has triggered flash floods. As of 3:30 p.m. (0730 GMT) on August 8, 10 people have died and 33 are missing," state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has demanded the "utmost effort" in rescuing the missing people, CCTV reported him as saying.

Owing to the "frequent occurrence of extreme weather," Xi ordered all regions to "resolutely overcome complacency" while increasing efforts to identify risks.

Heavy rains since Thursday have caused flash floods and at least one landslide in Guangdong province, according to CCTV.

The floods meant no power and telecommunications services in the Xinglong mountain area, leaving more than 4,000 people across four villages stranded.

Are natural disasters a common occurrence in China?

Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some areas experience heavy rains while others suffer from soaring temperatures.

Last month, heavy rains in northern Beijing killed 44 people, with the capital's rural suburbs hit particularly hard.

China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more common.

The country is also a renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its economy carbon-neutral by 2060