Video capturing Chinese firefighter eating in rain during flood relief goes viral

A firefighter who was filmed eating in heavy rain during work breaks while dealing with the flood disaster in southwestern China has gone viral and touched millions of people on social media.

A video taken by a passer-by in Guigang, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, circulated widely online, featuring Liang Huan, a firefighter from a station in Zhaoqing, southern Guangdong province.

At noon on July 9, during a break between tasks, Liang opened a lunchbox to eat. However, a sudden downpour forced him to hold his meal with one hand while wiping rain from his face with the other, according to a viral clip reported by the Guangzhou Daily.

Liang was seated on some flotation jackets on a road, and left some food on a big bottle that firefighters use to carry clean water.

Not far away, several firefighters were resting on the ground, and a soldier was distributing lunchboxes.

Liang and his colleagues were deployed from Guangdong to neighbouring Guangxi to help local residents cope with the flood.

In early July, Guangxi was hit by a serious flood caused by the typhoon Maysak, with rain in many regions reaching a historical high.

By the end of July 9, 39 people had died in the flood, and another nine were missing. The authorities said about 380,000 residents were affected by the disaster.