About 30,000 Teachers and Students Rescued from Floods in Guigang, Guangxi After 72-Hour Multi-Force Operation

Starting July 6, 2026, Typhoon Maysak caused severe flooding that trapped about 30,000 teachers and students in multiple schools in Guigang, Guangxi. After a 72-hour joint rescue operation involving military, fire, emergency, and social forces, all were safely evacuated by noon on July 9.

Source: 人民网-教育频道

At 13:30 on July 9, 2026, the last group of teachers and students boarded a powered pontoon bridge, marking the safe evacuation of all approximately 30,000 students from flooded schools in Guigang, Guangxi. The disaster began on July 6 when heavy rains brought by Typhoon Maysak inundated multiple schools.

During the evacuation, the powered pontoon bridge deployed by China Anneng Group played a crucial role. Each bridge could carry over 500 people per trip, with a round trip taking about 40 minutes. At one point, over 6,000 people were waiting to be evacuated from schools. Rescue forces had earlier used small inflatable boats to transfer more than 2,000 students.

A red flood alert was issued for Guigang early on July 7. At Guangxi Logistics Vocational and Technical College, power, water and communications were cut off, and rising water forced students to move to higher floors. Liao Xiaohua, vice principal of Guigang Dajiang Senior High School, waded through floodwaters for six hours to walk 20 kilometers from his home to the school. Qin Qiuming, Party secretary of Guigang No. 8 Senior High School, led teachers to carry relief supplies through waist-deep water. Wu Donggui, a teacher at Guigang Dakai Senior High School, repeatedly explored flooded routes to find a supply line using small boats.

Students and staff also organized self-help. Wang Dexiang, a student leader at Guangxi Logistics Vocational and Technical College, formed a team to record and verify the names and evacuation destinations of 558 students using notebooks. A student at Guigang Dakai Senior High School fell acutely ill, and teacher Tan Haijie along with two students took turns carrying the sick student through the flood to a vehicle for hospital transfer.

Rescue forces from Guangdong, Hunan, Sichuan, and other regions, including fire, emergency, armed police, and volunteer teams, used inflatable boats and drones to deliver supplies and evacuate people. After all students were safe, some were registered at shelters, and those needing to return home were transported by bus to the train station via a dedicated green channel.