SHENYANG, CHINA — Residents of Shenyang witnessed a surreal and alarming spectacle on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, as devastating floods triggered by Typhoon Bavi ripped a landmark lighthouse from its moorings, sending the massive structure drifting down the raging Hunhe River.

Northeastern China’s Liaoning province has been battered by relentless torrential rains. The tropical moisture pulled northward by the slow-moving typhoon has swollen local waterways to historic levels, triggering mass evacuations and widespread chaos.

The dramatic incident occurred during the peak of the storm's fury. Videos rapidly circulating on Chinese social media captured the bizarre sight of the decorative lighthouse bobbing upright, sailing down the chocolate-brown, turbulent waters of the Hunhe River like a ghost ship.

As onlookers watched in disbelief, the giant structure drifted downstream through the heart of the provincial capital, but the surreal scene quickly escalated into an active hazard. While navigating the fast-moving currents, the drifting lighthouse struck a set of low-hanging, high-voltage power lines, instantly severing them and sending bright blue arcs of electricity sparking across the water.

Witnesses captured footage of the lighthouse continuing its uncontrolled journey before it ultimately collided with a local bridge. Fortunately, municipal authorities later confirmed that emergency teams successfully tracked and recovered the rogue structure further downstream.

The rogue lighthouse is just one of many crises facing Liaoning province as Typhoon Bavi continues to dump extreme amounts of rain across northeastern China.

The region has suffered severe infrastructure damage. Swollen rivers have overflowed, inundating major roadways, submerging residential neighborhoods, and drowning vast swaths of vital farmland.

"The sheer volume of water flowing through the Hunhe River is unprecedented for this time of year," noted a local meteorological official. "The saturated ground simply cannot absorb any more rainfall."

Fearing further bridge collapses and mudslides, provincial authorities have launched a massive civil defense response. To date, more than 260,000 residents have been evacuated from high-risk zones across Liaoning to temporary emergency shelters.

While emergency crews have secured the stray lighthouse, regional grid operators are working around the clock to repair the severed power lines and restore electricity to affected districts.

With Typhoon Bavi projected to bring further heavy rainfall to northeastern China over the coming days, water levels along the Hunhe River remain under constant surveillance. Residents have been urged to stay away from riverbanks, docks, and low-lying pedestrian paths as the region battles one of its most challenging flood seasons in recent memory.