--- title: "Wild Video Shows Quadcopter Drone Plucking Man From Raging Floodwaters, Whisking Him to Safety" description: "Footage from China's flooded Guangxi province shows a quadcopter drone saving a stranded man from the top of an oil tanker." date: "2026-07-08" modified: "2026-07-08" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/robots-and-machines/china-quadcopter-drone-flood-typhoon-rescue" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" --- # Wild Video Shows Quadcopter Drone Plucking Man From Raging Floodwaters, Whisking Him to Safety ![Two screenshots of a video depicting a man being airlifted by a drone from floodwaters.]() *Xinhua (Screenshot)* Two men in Southern China are alive thanks to a daring rescue involving a hulking quadcopter drone. Footage shared by Chinese state media [*Xinhua* shows]() the moment a stranded flood victim is plucked from the top of an oil tanker by a drone in Guangxi, an autonomous region bordering Vietnam. After being strapped into a harness by a brave rescue worker, the man is whisked from the tanker, holding onto the support lines for dear life as the drone carries him above the raging waters. As the brief clip shows, the flood reached about halfway up nearby transmission poles, and well beyond the first floor of nearby buildings. Elsewhere in Guangxi, China's [*CGTN* reported]() emergency responders deployed telecomm drones in order to restore internet connection to flooded areas, allowing flood victims to connect to first responders and loved ones outside the disaster area. Guangxi bore the brunt of [typhoon Maysak](), which ripped its way inland through China's Southern coast. It left a trail of destruction in its wake, forcing over 130,000 to evacuate as rainfall totals reached as much as [35 inches]() over a few short days. In one flooded village, rising waters even liberated [hundreds of snakes]() from a breeding farm, which went on to terrify stranded disaster victims waiting for their own rescuers to arrive. North of Guangxi in China's Hubei province, a severe storm resulting from the typhoon created a [monster tornado]() powerful enough to suck a man out of his 12th-story apartment, while unrelenting rain unleashed [massive landslides]() across the western province of Gansu. With China bracing for [yet another massive typhoon](), the country's emergency response capacity is facing a major stress test — drones and all. **More on drones:** *[The Number of Drones Being Deployed to Surveil Anti-Trump Protestors Is Staggering]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()