Sixteen people were killed and many left missing in flash flooding in northwest China, state media reported Thursday, as the country battles extreme weather that has shuttered factories and caused rolling power cuts.

The deluge comes during a summer of soaring temperatures and torrential rains in China, with multiple cities clocking their hottest days on record and floods causing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage.

Floods hit this week in a mountainous region of Datong county in Qinghai province, affecting more than 6,200 people from six villages, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Photos of the aftermath showed roads covered in mud, uprooted trees, damaged homes and rescue workers carrying shovels.

"As of noon on the 18th, 16 people have been killed," added CCTV, saying that rescue work was ongoing.

At least 18 people are missing and 20 have since been rescued, and a "frontline headquarters" has been set up to organise the emergency response, according to state media reports.

"The rescue work is progressing in an orderly manner," the report said, adding that sudden heavy rainfall Wednesday night had triggered the situation.

- Extreme weather -

Scientists say extreme weather across the world has become more frequent due to climate change, and will likely grow more intense as temperatures rise.

Severe flooding in southern China in June displaced more than half a million people and caused an estimated $250 million in damage.

On Wednesday, Chinese authorities warned that heavy rains were also expected to hit northern regions of the country including the capital Beijing and its neighbouring Tianjin and Hebei.

Earlier this week, President Xi Jinping called on officials in the northeastern Liaoning province to "ensure the safety of people's lives in flood control", state media reported.

Meanwhile, millions of people in southwest China are facing rolling power cuts after a crushing heatwave led to an electricity supply crunch that has forced factories to halt work.

Sichuan province relies heavily on dams to generate its electricity but the heat has caused reservoirs to dry up, exacerbating the energy shortage.

On Thursday, Sichuan authorities ordered employers to stop requiring staff to perform outdoor work when temperatures are forecast to hit 40 degrees Celsius or above.

Water volume in the province's major rivers has fallen by around 20 to 50 percent in the absence of rain as well, impacting hydropower generation, state news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday citing provincial energy officials.

The China Meteorological Administration said the country was going through its longest period of sustained high temperatures since records began in 1961, with 64 straight days of heat warnings in various regions starting in June.

More than a third of weather stations in China recorded extreme heat this summer, with 262 of them reaching or surpassing previous records, the administration said.

Hundreds evacuated as 'frightening' floods hit New Zealand
Wellington (AFP) Aug 18, 2022 - Hundreds of families on New Zealand's South Island were forced to leave their homes on Thursday after dramatic flooding prompted a state of emergency in three regions.

A tropically fuelled storm has dumped more than 30 centimetres (11 inches) of rain on parts of the South Island, causing rivers to burst their banks. The extreme weather has also felled trees, blocking major roads.

A state of emergency was declared Wednesday in Buller, on the west coast, and Nelson -- where 233 homes have been evacuated after a month's worth of rain fell in just 15 hours.

The deluge transformed Nelson's main river, the Maitai, into a torrent -- flooding houses, exposing pipes and leaving streets knee-deep in water.

City mayor Rachel Reese described the flash flooding as a "one-in-100-year event" as search and rescue teams, plus military personnel, helped people on submerged streets.

Reese warned locals to treat all water as contaminated, because some sewers had broken.

Nelson resident Sam Lagrutta said the situation was "frightening" after police gave him just five minutes to leave his home.

"I literally just grabbed a carry-on bag and filled it with my passport, wallet and anything important I could find," he told the New Zealand Herald.

A further 160 households along the South Island's west coast were also asked to evacuate.

Buller has been repeatedly hit by flooding in recent years.

Mayor Jamie Cleine said frequent evacuations had taken a toll on a community, which was now bracing for more flooding.

"It is extremely troubling for people financially and mentally. This is our reality until a long-term solution can be put in place," he told news site Stuff.

The country's Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty visited Nelson on Thursday, promising financial aid to the flood-ravaged town.

"The weather has caused considerable damage and been extremely disruptive," he told reporters.

"While it's too early to know the full cost of the damage, this initial $200,000 (US$125,460) contribution will help... in getting immediate support to those who need it."

New Zealand's North Island has also been affected by the wild weather, with winds of up to 120 kilometres an hour barrelling across Northland, where three people were injured in a car accident after a tree fell on State Highway One.

Last month, New Zealand was soaked by its wettest July on record, and the wild weather looks set to continue until the weekend.

The country's largest insurer, IAG, has said building in flood-prone areas must stop.

Climate change is having an enormous impact on New Zealand's insurance sector. Ten major floods in the past two years have led to total losses of around $400 million, IAG said.

About one per cent of New Zealand's homes -- 20,000 properties -- are at risk of flooding.

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