At least 30 people have died and more than 80,000 residents have been evacuated due to record-breaking rains and catastrophic flooding in Beijing and surrounding provinces.
The heaviest rainfall in years battered the Chinese capital on Monday, with some areas recording up to 54cm (21 inches) of rain.
The Miyun and Yanqing districts, both mountainous areas on the city’s outskirts, were hardest hit—reportedly accounting for all 30 confirmed fatalities, News.Az reports, citing Sky News.
The deluge forced authorities to issue a top-level emergency response, shutting down schools, halting construction projects, and suspending outdoor activities.
The storm has severely damaged infrastructure—washing away cars, knocking down power lines, and flooding roads across Beijing and neighboring Hebei province. More than 130 villages lost electricity, and over 30 roads were rendered impassable.
In Hebei’s Luanping county, a landslide killed four people, with eight more reported missing. Communications remain down in many affected areas.
In Miyun’s Taishitun town, residents described scenes of panic and devastation. “The flood came rushing in, just like that—so fast and suddenly,” said Zhuang Zhelin, as he and his family cleared mud from their shop.
Nearby, a traditional medicine practitioner, Wei Zhengming, recalled fleeing upstairs to wait for rescue: “It was all water, front and back. I remember thinking, if no one came to get us, we’d be in real trouble.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for full-scale rescue operations to minimize further casualties. Authorities have begun releasing water from Miyun Reservoir, which reached its highest level since its construction in 1959.
Beijing officials said two towns in Miyun alone recorded over 54cm of rainfall, with average levels citywide nearing 16cm. Additional rainfall of up to 30cm is forecast for Tuesday.
The central government has allocated 50 million yuan (approx. £5.2 million) in emergency aid to Hebei and dispatched senior emergency response teams to the most severely affected cities, including Chengde, Baoding, and Zhangjiakou.
