A man was rescued by firefighters in the city of Wu’an, in Hebei, China, after being trapped in his car in an overflowing river. In addition, at least two people died Monday in Beijing, on high alert for floods and landslides, due to heavy rainfall that has been falling in the region for several days. These torrential rains are a consequence of Cyclone Doksuri, which caused at least 39 deaths in the Philippines.
According to the capital’s meteorological service, 170.9 millimeters of water fell on the city in 40 hours, between Saturday night and Monday at noon, that is, almost the average rainfall for an entire month of July.
Much of Beijing’s periphery “presents a high risk of subsidence, landslides and mudslides,” according to a notice from authorities.
Emergency services found two bodies in a river in the Mentougou district, on the western outskirts of Beijing, according to the state-run People’s Daily newspaper. “This morning, it was crazy. The Mentougou river overflowed its banks and the entire avenue was flooded,” said Guo Zhenyu, a 49-year-old resident.
“I am old but I have never seen such a flood in my whole life,” said Qin Qan, a Mentougou resident. In the same district, the much wider Yongding River was laden with debris through its unclear waters, under the incredulous gaze of residents perched on a bridge.
Bulldozers, workers in orange raincoats and neighbors scrambled to dig up the mud Monday afternoon when the rain eased for a few moments.
In that same neighborhood, the neighbors removed the mud from in front of their houses, taking advantage of a brief moment without rain, according to this woman. “When it starts to rain, the road turns into a sewer and the water goes up to the first floor of the houses,” she added. “The houses are old and the issue of security is very worrying.” In the Fangshan district, also on the outskirts of Beijing, a part of the roads disappeared under the water.
The authorities in the Chinese capital are very cautious in the face of heavy rains since 2021, when severe flooding occurred in the center of the country and more than 300 people died, especially in the city of Zhengzhou. As a result, millions of people were advised to stay at home on Monday. The Dashihe River, on the outskirts of Beijing, has been placed under the highest flood alert level.
In recent months, China has experienced extreme weather conditions and very unusual temperatures, phenomena fueled by climate change, according to scientists. Beijing and its region broke local temperature records at the beginning of July, exceeding 40 °C. Extreme weather phenomena (cyclones, heat waves, floods, droughts…) are of natural origin. But global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activities is increasing in frequency and scope, experts say
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