Last updated on July 10th, 2026
Editor's Note
Typhoon Maysak—the 10th named storm of the 2026 season—made landfall on July 4, bringing heavy rains to Nanning, Fangchenggang, Qinzhou, and Guigang in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, causing severe flooding in several areas. Fact Hunter has observed that multiple social media accounts started circulating a video, showing “two men floating on the water surface” around July 8. Several posts linked the clips to the flood in Hengzhou, Guangxi, accumulating approximately 3.3 million views. Fact Hunter traced the original clips to a water-safety advisory created by an individual user; it bears no connection to the current flood in Guangxi. The false narrative in the video may mislead public perception of the disaster and response efforts. This report examines the origin of the video, the official rescue operation and the dissemination patterns.
Claim
On July 8, 2026, X user @OttoHuang120 posted a video showing two men floating on the surface of a river, with the caption: “Guangxi Province, Hengzhou flood. CCP officials say only two people died.” The post quickly received more than 67,000 views and around 1,000 interactions. However, according to briefings from the Guangxi Flood Control and Disaster Relief Press Conference, as of 20:30 on July 7, a cumulative total of 6 deaths had been reported from flood disasters across the autonomous region.
Fact Check
1. Source Analysis
A reverse image search of key frames from the video found a matching clip posted by Douyin user @一个夏天 on May 30, 2026. Text visible in the video reads: “Do not imitate without professional training. Water-safety education video.” This indicates that the footage was not a real-life recording of a specific incident at a disaster site. The video was also posted more than 35 days before the claimed flood, making the timeline inconsistent.
The original uploader, @一个夏天, mainly posts videos set in rural and outdoor environments, often using sensational or suspense-style titles. The account has uploaded multiple videos in a similar style. Some clips are labeled as “breath-holding challenge Guinness World Record,” while others include safety warnings such as “Dangerous action. Non-professionals should not imitate.”
2. National Disaster-Relief Deployment and Support Measures
On July 6, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters raised the flood control response for Guangxi to Level II. The National Commission for Disaster Reduction and Relief activated a national Level IV disaster response and dispatched a joint working group to Hengzhou.
The Ministry of Emergency Management deployed 1,372 rescue personnel, 270 vehicles, and 140 watercrafts, and mobilized over 2,200 engineering strength from China Anneng and China Railway Group for evacuation and dike protection.
The Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission allocated a combined 260 million yuan—160 million for disaster relief and 100 million for post-disaster recovery. An additional 160,000 units of relief supplies had been delivered to Guangxi.
1. Increased Focus and Productivity
As of 17:00 on July 7, over 5,600 military and militia personnel had been deployed to flood-affected areas in Guangxi.
The Southern Theater Command, the Guangxi Corps of the People’s Armed Police (PAP), and the Nanning Garrison Command participated in evacuation and rescue operations. Those forces conducted search and rescue in isolated villages, reservoir patrols, urban drainage, and medical supports.
The PAP Guangxi Corps dispatched approximately 800 personnel to Guigang, Hengzhou, Qinzhou, and Fangchenggang. In Hengzhou, the Nanning Military Sub-command deployed an additional 180 militia members, supplementing an initial 280, to carry out search and rescue in low-lying and remote areas.
As of the morning of July 10, Nanning had held three flood-related press briefings (July 6, 7, and 9). According to the July 9 midday briefing, over 4,200 personnel and 1,300 vehicle-trips had been deployed for cleanup and epidemic prevention. Telecommunication operability in Hengzhou and Binyang reached 87.7%, and power had been restored to 63,000 households, with repairs ongoing.
In addition to issuing regular updates on relief efforts, the Guangxi government issued a clarification on July 8 via its official WeChat account, Guangxi Release, to address misinformation related to the flooding.
3. Dissemination Analysis
The circulation path of the video can be traced as follows:
The clip first appeared on Douyin, posted by @一个夏天 on May 30, 2026, with no reference to any location or flood event. On June 1, Instagram user @guadalupelopej uploaded the same video with a Spanish caption reading “Industry and innovation”. In both versions, the on-screen warning “Do not imitate without professional training. Water-safety education video.” remained visible.
On July 8, 2026, X account @jason27873170 reposted the video after the bottom caption — “Do not imitate without professional training. Water-safety education video.” — had been removed. The accompanying Chinese caption said: “Possibly Hengzhou, Guangxi.” On the same day, @WanjunXie posted related content explicitly linking the video to Guangxi. Other accounts, including @zhihui999, @hiroe_yoshida, and @OttoHuang120, later amplified the claim. Some media accounts, including Russian outlet @RT_com, also shared the footage.
Background
Starting July 4, Typhoon Maysak brought prolonged and heavy rainfall to Guangxi. Approximately 77% of the region’s townships had experienced torrential rain, with accumulations in Nanning and Guigang exceeding 600 mm. Several reservoirs were reported overtopping or structural breach. According to briefings from the Guangxi Flood Control and Disaster Relief Press Conference, as of July 9, the floods had affected 375,000 residents across Guangxi with 39 confirmed deaths and 9 reported missing. Nanning alone had evacuated 64,500 residents, including 54,500 from Hengzhou.
Verdict
Misleading
Conclusion
Upon the verification, the video claiming “Flood Videos in Hengzhou, Guangxi “is originates from a safety advisory video posted one month ago. The original video was published on Douyin on May 30, 2026, by user @YiGeXiaTian, and included a visible disclaimer: “Do not imitate without professional training. Water-safety education video.” The footage is unrelated to the July 2026 flood caused by Typhoon Maysak. During subsequent dissemination, the original watermark was removed, and the video was recirculated with a false location label—”Hengzhou, Guangxi.” As of July 8, 8,342 emergency rescue personnel had been deployed. Nanning municipal authorities have also held multiple press conferences to update disaster statistics and rescue progress. In the face of sudden disasters, readers are advised to consult multiple authoritative platforms and cross-verify information before sharing.
Have a questionable video or claim? Submit it to Fact Hunter’s investigation team at [therealfacthunter@outlook.com].
Primary Fact Checker: Liu Yantong
Secondary Fact Checker: Lei Ting
