Torrential downpours have battered northern China, killing at least 30 people and forcing more than 80,000 residents to evacuate, with Beijing suffering the worst of the devastation.
State media reported on Tuesday that the capital has recorded the highest number of casualties so far.
“The latest round of heavy rainstorms has left 30 people dead in Beijing as of midnight Monday,” stated the city’s municipal flood control headquarters, as quoted by Xinhua.
More than 80,000 people have been evacuated due to flooding in the capital alone, according to local state-run outlet Beijing Daily.
This bout of severe weather has affected multiple provinces, including Hebei, Jilin, and Shandong, alongside Beijing.
Local publication Beijing Daily reported via social media that more than 80,000 individuals had been displaced from their homes in the capital. It further noted that “continuous extreme heavy rainfall caused major disasters.”
The district of Miyun, located northeast of Beijing’s center, reported the highest number of casualties. Huairou in the north and Fangshan in the southwest have also been severely impacted, according to official sources.
Infrastructure damage is widespread. Beijing Daily stated that dozens of roads have been shut down, and over 130 villages are currently without power. “Please pay attention to weather forecasts and warnings and do not go to risk areas unless necessary,” the outlet warned.
President Xi Jinping has called on local officials to be vigilant and proactive. He emphasized the need to prepare for worst-case scenarios and accelerate efforts to evacuate residents from high-risk flood zones.
Meanwhile, in Hebei province, which surrounds the capital, a landslide in a village near Chengde resulted in four deaths, with eight more individuals unaccounted for, as reported by state broadcaster CCTV.
China frequently grapples with natural disasters during the summer months. While some areas endure heavy rainfall and flooding, others face blistering heat waves.
As the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China has been linked to the climate crisis that experts say intensifies such extreme weather.
However, the country also leads globally in renewable energy development and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
Earlier this month, two people died and ten went missing following flash floods in Shandong province. In another tragedy, a landslide along a highway in Sichuan province swept multiple vehicles off the road, resulting in five fatalities.
