At least nine killed in southwest China after truck falls into river in heavy rain

At least nine people died in Guangxi, China, after a pickup truck plunged into a flooded river during heavy rain, while two earthquakes also struck the region.

Rescuers prepare to conduct search for victims at the site where a pickup truck plunged into a river from a bridge in Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Monday, May 18, 2026. (Photo: AP/Cao Yiming)

19 May 2026 02:16AM

(Updated: 19 May 2026 02:18AM)

BEIJING: At least nine people died after a pickup truck carrying 15 passengers fell into a flooded river in China's southwestern region of Guangxi amid heavy rain, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday (May 18).The passengers were returning from planting sweet potatoes on Saturday and the truck fell into the river while crossing a bridge whose deck was submerged by rising water levels, CCTV previously reported.More downpours are expected after heavy rain drenched central and eastern China on the weekend, lashing provinces such as Jiangxi and Hunan, weather authorities said.In separate incidents, two magnitude 5.2 earthquakes hit Guangxi's Liuzhou city on Monday. The quake in the early morning killed two people and forced more than 7,000 to evacuate.