Heavy rain and flooding claim four lives in northern China
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Heavy Rains in Beijing Prompt Mass Evacuations
In the suburbs of Miyun district, over 3,000 residents were forced to leave their homes as downpours swelled local reservoirs and flooded streets.
Flood Threats Reach Highest Levels Across China
- Beijing authorities issued the country’s second‑highest warning for rainstorms.
- The highest flood alert in the capital was also released, with heavy rains expected to persist into Tuesday morning.
Casualties and Missing Trapped by Torrential Storms
State media reported four deaths and eight missing in Hebei province, where a landslide near Chengde village left additional casualties over the weekend.
In Fuping County, more than 4,600 people were evacuated, while a bus accident in Shanxi province resulted in one rescue and thirteen missing.
Infrastructure and Agricultural Damage
In Miyun, the record‑largest inflow flood entered the reservoir for the first time in over sixty years. AFP journalists observed the reservoir discharge a torrent of water, sweeping away power lines and clogging military vehicles and ambulances racing through flooded lanes.
A river burst its banks, tearing trees, while fields of crops were submerged. Roads suffered severe damage, with chunks of exposed concrete scattered across lanes and twisted guardrails lining their sides. Low‑rise houses in the mountainous area remained mostly intact, though gushing floods surrounded them.
National Response and Funding
The National Development and Reform Commission allocated 50 million yuan ($7 million) to aid relief efforts in Hebei, funding post‑disaster emergency recovery and infrastructure construction, Xinhua news agency reported.
China faces frequent natural disasters, especially during summer when some regions endure heavy rain while others experience scorching heatwaves. The nation is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases that scientists say drive climate change and intensify extreme weather. Yet it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
Flash floods in eastern China’s Shandong province killed two people and left ten missing this month, while a landslide on a Sichuan highway swept five cars down a mountainside, killing five people.
