The torrential rains that have hit northern China in recent days have killed at least 62 people, according to an upwardly revised toll on Wednesday which saw the number of victims triple in the space of a week for the city of China alone. Beijing.
Typhoon Doksuri, downgraded to a storm after hitting the neighboring Philippines, swept through part of China last week with rains of rare intensity that caused considerable damage.
The Chinese capital Beijing, which has seen the heaviest rainfall in 140 years, and the neighboring province of Hebei have been particularly affected.
On Wednesday, the toll of these bad weather rose to at least 33 dead and 18 missing for Beijing alone, while devastating bad weather also hit northeast China, near Russia and North Korea.
The previous toll for the capital alone dated back to Tuesday August 1 and reported at least 11 dead.
“I want to express my deep condolences,” Beijing Vice Mayor Xia Linmao said, calling for a moment of silence for the victims at a press conference.
In neighboring Hebei province, at least 15 people perished in the storms, which also killed at least 14 people in northeast China, an important region for grain production.
Chinese authorities announced on Friday that natural disasters in the country left 147 people dead or missing in July. A report that only partially includes the victims of Typhoon Doksuri.
China has been facing extreme weather conditions and locally unusual temperatures in recent months, exacerbated by climate change according to scientists.
At the other end of the country, at least seven people died on Wednesday in the mountainous province of Sichuan (southwest), during a flash flood on a river, reported the new China agency.
About 10 people were taking photos near a dam at a popular tourist spot in Ya’an when they were swept away by a powerful torrent, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Images broadcast by the channel show people in the middle of the current struggling to keep their heads above water. Screams can be heard.
Meteorological services in a nearby town had warned Wednesday of the risk of heavy rainfall in the area.
08/09/2023 10:50:25 – Beijing (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
