25 Dead in Gansu Scenic Area Flood; Foreign Media Question Natural Disaster or Human Error

A flash flood in Shuangshimen Gully, Gansu Province, on June 26 resulted in 25 fatalities. China's National Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Relief Commission has launched a 'hanging supervision' (guapai duban) investigation into the incident. 'Hanging supervision' is a regulatory mechanism used by higher-level Chinese government bodies to publicly oversee major cases, requiring timely investigation and rectification, with accountability procedures triggered if deadlines are not met.

Deutsche Welle (DW) Chinese website published a report titled: 'Natural Disaster or Man-Made Tragedy? Flash Flood at Gansu's Shuangshimen Scenic Area Leaves 25 Dead.' According to DW's report, the flood occurred at a paid, social media-famous scenic area popular among summer hikers and campers.

Survivors who escaped the site told media that over 200 people and about 60 vehicles were present in the mountains when the disaster struck. Heavy rain lasted approximately 30 minutes, and only around 10 vehicles managed to escape. Multiple interviewees told Jiemian News that there were no security personnel patrolling the area, and no early warnings were issued by the scenic zone management.

China News Weekly reported that prior to the disaster, local meteorological stations and emergency management authorities issued three consecutive warnings for heavy rainfall and flash floods. The scenic area management committee received these alerts, yet three layers of defense failed to prevent the accident.

Xinhua News Agency reported today that, in accordance with the 'Interim Measures for Natural Disaster Investigation and Assessment,' the National Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Relief Commission has initiated a 'hanging supervision' investigation. The commission has instructed the Gansu provincial government to promptly organize a disaster investigation and assessment in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and rules, to enhance disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief capabilities, and to safeguard the lives and property of the people. (Edited by Feng Zhao / Zhou Huiying)