Overview
- Record rainfall from Tropical Storm Maysak caused reservoirs to overflow and breach on Monday, July 6, producing flash floods that officials say have killed at least 39 people and forced about 130,000 evacuations.
- Floodwaters damaged commercial snake-breeding facilities in Hengzhou and broke enclosures at Guigang Zoo, releasing an estimated 800–900 snakes plus more than 100 zoo animals into villages, waterways and streets.
- Viral videos show snakes paddling through murky floodwater and residents trying to catch them, and local reports say multiple people were bitten with hospitalisations recorded and at least one locally reported snakebite death after delayed access to care.
- Authorities have mobilised specialised capture teams, opened temporary medical clinics and increased antivenom stocks to recapture escaped animals and treat bite victims, while warning residents not to approach or handle the animals.
- Guangxi is a major commercial snake-farming hub that breeds tens of millions of reptiles for medicine, leather and food, which explains the scale of the escape and raises longer-term recovery and ecological risks if further storms disrupt containment efforts.