As floods inundated China’s Guangxi area for the second time this week, a heavy-lift drone carried out a dramatic rescue of a man trapped on a collapsing rooftop.
Located at the confluence of three rivers and home to 300,000 residents, heavy rains on Saturday half-submerged the already flood-stricken riverside city of Rongjiang, prompting the evacuation of residents to higher ground.
Rongjiang was inundated earlier this week by record downpours that left six dead and forced more than 80,000 people to flee their homes. The amount of rain that fell over 72 hours was double the city’s average for June.
Drone to rescue
According to media reports, China is deploying highly advanced technological equipment to rescue people from flooded areas.
In one such rescue straight out of a movie, a man was seen being flown to safety by a drone, which could reportedly carry a load of 100 kg.
The video of the dramatic escape of the lucky man in Guangxi has gone viral on social media, with netizens expressing their surprise about the “unbelievable” drone rescue.
More than 40,000 residents in Rongjiang had been urgently evacuated on Saturday, according to the state broadcaster.
Here’s how netizens reacted:
Stunned by the drone’s use for rescuing people stuck in areas otherwise unreachable, social media users quipped, “China is living in the future.”
“China’s drones now do what half the rescue teams can’t,” said another user.
A netizen said, “Drones as superheroes? Incredible tech saves the day again!”
“Truly unbelievable! When technology meets humanity, miracles happen,” said another. “This isn’t the future, it’s the power of today,” they added.
“That could be useful for mountain rescue of stranded hikers, too,” a user suggested.
Several social media users also joked that the drone would be useless for the average American, referring to the nation’s obesity crisis.
“This drone is useless with an average American,” a user joked.
Another added: “Gonna need a bigger drone in the US.”
“Does it come with a prerecorded ‘sorry, fatty!’ sound?” a netizen laughed.
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