The torrential rains and floods that have hit Beijing and its surroundings for several days have left at least 11 dead and 27 missing in the Chinese capital, state media announced on Tuesday (August 1).
Typhoon Doksuri, downgraded to a storm, has been sweeping across China from southeast to north since Friday, when it hit eastern Fujian province after hitting neighboring Philippines. Torrential rains began battering the region on Saturday. In just 40 hours, the capital has seen the equivalent of the average rainfall for an entire month of July fall.
“The heavy rains left at least 11 people dead and 27 missing,” state broadcaster CCTV said on Tuesday, citing municipal flood control authorities. The previous toll reported two deaths in the semi-mountainous district of Mentougou, west of the city, one of the main affected.
Among the dead are a firefighter who was taking part in the rescue operations. In addition, four professional rescue workers from a non-governmental organization who fell into the water are among those missing.
Blocked trains and submerged buses
With four helicopters, a group of 26 soldiers transported food, water, blankets and rainwear to Mentougou on Tuesday morning for travelers whose trains were blocked due to bad weather, according to CCTV.
The mountainous western districts of the capital “as well as other places in Beijing suffered severe water damage, which notably caused the blockage of three trains in transit and the complete blockage of road traffic in certain areas” , the channel pointed out.
CCTV on Tuesday morning broadcast live images of buses half-submerged by the waves in another rural district, that of Fangshan (west of the capital). About 150,000 homes in Mentougou no longer have access to running water and authorities have dispatched 45 tankers there to provide emergency supplies, the Beijing Daily, an official newspaper, said on Tuesday.
Chinese media on Monday published footage of chaotic scenes on high-speed trains, some stuck on the tracks for 30 hours, with passengers complaining of running out of food and water.
New typhoon
Beijing and neighboring Hebei province (north) have been placed on red alert for rainfall and geological hazards, with the danger of flash floods and landslides.
In the medium-sized city of Handan, about 400 km south of Beijing, rescuers on Sunday used a crane to extricate a man from his car surrounded by water, before his vehicle was swept away by the fluent.
China is experiencing extreme weather and record high temperatures this summer, events that scientists say are exacerbated by climate change.
According to Chinese experts quoted by the media, the current torrential rains could cause even more serious flooding than in July 2012 in Beijing, when 79 people were killed and tens of thousands evacuated. Rainfall is expected to ease significantly on Tuesday, according to meteorological services. But the respite could be short-lived as China braces for a new typhoon, Khanun, which is approaching the country’s eastern shores.
