At least eight people have lost their lives in devastating flash flooding that has ravaged parts of China, with four others still missing after two died at a recent beer festival.

The banks of a river running through the grasslands of Inner Mongolia burst at around 10pm on Saturday, washing away 13 campers on the outskirts of Bayannur, a key agricultural hub.

A search and rescue operation involving more than 700 people is underway, according to state news agency Xinhua. One person has been rescued. 

Bayannur is an important national grain and oil production base, as well as a sheep breeding and processing centre. 

China has faced weeks of extreme weather since July, with heavier-than-usual monsoon downpours stalling over the north and south of the country.

In the southwestern province of Sichuan, ‘severe weather’ on Friday killed two people and injured three others at a beer festival in the city of Mianzhu, after a truss fell on them, according to a local police report issued on Saturday. 

At the other end of the country, a three-and-a-half-month fishing suspension in the southern province of Hainan ended on Saturday, state media reported, after agricultural affairs officials ordered ships to shelter in port owing to persistent, heavy rain.

The deluge in Inner Mongolia follows a deadly downpour in Beijing – just under 1,000km away – late last month which killed at least 44 people and forced the evacuation of more than 70,000 residents.

At least eight people have lost their lives in devastating flash flooding that has ravaged parts of China

A search and rescue operation involving more than 700 people is underway, according to state news agency Xinhua

In the southwestern province of Sichuan, ‘severe weather’ on Friday killed two people and injured three others at a beer festival in the city of Mianzhu

The deluge in Inner Mongolia follows a deadly downpour in Beijing – just under 1,000km away – late last month which killed at least 44 people and forced the evacuation of more than 70,000 residents

China has faced weeks of extreme weather since July, with heavier-than-usual monsoon downpours stalling over the north and south of the country

Northern China has also seen several instances of flash flooding and landslides in recent weeks. 

Deluges in the northwestern Gansu province earlier this month left at least 10 people dead and 33 missing. 

Heavy rains have also battered other parts of the country, with Hong Kong seeing historic downpours. 

The central government announced last week £44million in fresh funding for disaster relief, taking the total allocated since April to at least £596million.    

It comes after last weekend at least 15 people died after flash floods devastated parts of China.

The floods destroyed homes and roads, and left dozens of people missing.

Aerial footage from Yuzhong County in China’s northwestern Gansu province showed the extent of the devastation. 

Workers were called in to try and repair towns where the infrastructure had been ruined.

Some of the men were seen slipping in the mud that as they walk through piles of huge stones moved by the huge flow of water.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged all-out rescue and flood prevention efforts.

The villages of Maliantan and Xinyaowanshe were nearly obliterated by the huge power of the water.

One witness likened the floods to ‘a train roaring through the mountains’ as the sound of crashing boulders came through their village, 24 Brussels reported.   

The area of Xinglongshan, popular among hikers and outdoor enthusiasts was also covered by one metre of mud, cutting off access to walking routes.

Aerial videos showed the devastation caused by flooding in northern China last weekend

Villages in the Gansu region of China were destroyed by the water which came crashing through

Some areas were turned into fast flowing rivers after a huge volume of water passed through

Rescue workers conducted a search and rescue operation after heavy rainfall caused flash floods near Xinglongshan village

Entire communities were reportedly cut off after more than 100km of road became impassible and five bridges were destroyed.

Some 37 villages were plunged into darkness after around seven power lines were damaged.

More than 2,500 homes  were left damaged or destroyed as a result of the flooding

Rescuers told local media they were working ‘around the clock’ to support some of the most isolated communities, adding ‘every hour counts when lives are at stake’.

Local media also reported that workers manage to rescue a dog which had been trapped under mud for over 30 hours.

Owing to the ‘frequent occurrence of extreme weather,’ Xi ordered all regions to ‘resolutely overcome complacency’ while increasing efforts to identify risks.

Weather experts link the shifting pattern to climate change, testing officials as flash floods displace thousands and threaten billions of dollars in economic losses.