Floods Turn Beijing Streets into Rivers

At least 30 people have died in northern Beijing after days of heavy rain, CNN News reported on Tuesday (July 29), citing Chinese state media. Heavy rains have lashed northern China in recent days, causing widespread flooding and landslides. A landslide in Hebei province, which borders Beijing, killed four people and left eight others missing. At least 28 people were killed in the mountainous Miyun district northeast of Beijing on Monday (July 28), and two more were killed in Yangqing district, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The rains have damaged many roads and cut off power to 136 villages. About 80,000 people have been evacuated, including about 17,000 residents of Miyun district, according to CCTV. Videos circulating on social media showed brown floodwaters entering residential areas, sweeping away cars, uprooting power poles and turning roads into rivers in Miyun. Beijing issued its highest level of flood warning on Monday (July 28) and urged residents to stay away from the river. The city’s meteorological observatory also issued a red alert for rainfall — the highest of four levels — and warned of “extreme risk” of overnight heavy rain, flash floods, mudslides and landslides in mountainous areas. By evening on Monday (July 28) local time, authorities had closed all schools in the city, closed all tourist attractions and ordered rural homestays and campsites to suspend operations. Chinese President Xi Jinping said the heavy rains, floods and related natural disasters had caused “serious loss of life and property” in Beijing and the northern provinces of Hebei, Jilin and Shandong. He ordered officials to make “all efforts” to search for the missing, properly evacuate residents of at-risk areas, and minimize loss of life as much as possible.