The storms and floods caused by the passage of Typhoon Maysak have left several dead, missing, evacuated and millions in material damage, mainly in the Guangxi region, southern China.

But the catastrophe generated an unusual situation that has caused additional concern: the failure of a reservoir dam caused serious flooding in the city of Hengzhou, destroying local snake breeding grounds and releasing up to 900 specimens, some of them venomous cobras.

“According to our preliminary estimates, between 800 and 900 snakes escaped after the farm was washed away by flood waters,” Wu Zhi, chairman of the Dengwei village committee in Yunbiao township, told Red Star News on Monday.

Panic on social networks and a deceased person

Dozens of videos spread on social networks showed the reptiles swimming through the muddy waters before the astonished gaze of residents. Other records reveal people trying to capture or scare away the reptiles.

The Hengzhou regional office confirmed in a statement that “snakes have appeared in some waters” of multiple flooded towns, without detailing the exact origin of the animals.

A woman from Yunbiao died after being bitten by one of the reptiles, according to the newspaper Beijing News, which adds that the hospital in the area has urgently increased its inventory of antidotes against the poison.

According to CCTV.com, some of the residents who were isolated in their homes due to flooding had suffered bites from poisonous snakes, but were unable to receive medical attention in time.

Voluntary organization to catch snakes

In the area there were breeding grounds for three main species: venomous cobras, rat king snakes (Elaphe carinata) and water snakes, Chinese media details. The authorities detailed that they had to be mainly careful with the cobras.

With fishing equipment and tools, civilians not directly affected by the natural disaster organized themselves voluntarily to collaborate in the recapture efforts. Most snakes, according to local experts, are likely to die from being submerged for an extended period.

Villages under water without electricity or drinking water

Beyond the threat of reptiles, the situation in the flooded areas is extreme: "The water inside the house exceeds the height of a person. There has been no electricity since yesterday morning and now they do not have drinking water either," denounced the affected citizen Lu Xiaofei, pointing out that the authorities had not yet contacted them.

Fatal victims and thousands of evacuees

The incident is part of a storm that keeps China on high alert. Six deaths and more than 130,000 evacuees were recorded in Guangxi alone.

In the northwestern province of Gansu, a landslide buried a group of forestry workers, leaving 21 dead.

In Hubei, tornadoes and thunderstorms added at least 11 more deaths. The central government has injected millions of dollars in emergency funds to deal with the disaster.

Another storm, Super Typhoon Bavi, is forecast to hit southeastern China over the weekend. In Taiwan, some farmers rushed to harvest their rice ahead of the storm's expected arrival on Friday night.