LIULAN (China), July — Rescuers scoured flooded parts of China for survivors on Wednesday as residents began cleaning up their devastated homes, after storms killed 17 people and caused dozens of rivers to overflow and a reservoir dam to burst.

Extreme weather has wreaked havoc on southern and central China this week, with a super typhoon heading towards eastern provinces this weekend.

In the southern region of Guangxi, six people died and at least 130,000 people were evacuated to safety after torrential rain and severe flooding from Typhoon Maysak, officials said.

Fast-flowing muddy water burst the banks of 40 rivers and waterways in the region, damaging nearly 13,000 acres of agricultural land, state media reported.

In the village of Liulan, where a reservoir dam collapsed, floodwaters had receded when AFP reporters arrived on Wednesday but the streets and houses were swamped with thick mud.

Reporters saw multiple vehicles that had been washed into fields nearby, buried in silt.

“When faced with these natural disasters, we really feel powerless,” said resident Wu Yuhao. “But now people from all walks of life and the army are helping us, so we can really feel that sense of unity and strength.”

Water from the reservoir was still rushing high and fast through the river, as a rescue team sent large drones carrying food and supplies to people trapped on the other side.

Chinese authorities were sending additional disaster relief like food, raincoats and rubber boats to the region, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Earlier, videos published by state broadcaster CCTV showed torrents of water rushing past the crumbled concrete walls of the reservoir dam, while rescue workers wearing life vests were deployed on inflatable boats.

Volunteers from nearby towns and villages had joined official rescue forces to help with relief efforts.

“Coming to the front line feels pretty heavy, emotionally speaking,” volunteer Qin Qiuyu told AFP. “In the worst-hit areas, people are still calling out for help non-stop, and they need our support.”

A restaurant worker named Huang in nearby Hengzhou told AFP that “some houses collapsed... and were washed away” by the floods.