Chinese officials reported that at least 20 have died and 27 others are missing amid flooding resulting from the days of the heaviest rain in the last decade.
The torrential rains affected various areas around the Asian nation's capital, Beijing, and destroyed roads, trees being uprooted, and power being knocked out for many residents. Thousands of residents were brought to shelters in schools and other public buildings in suburban Beijing and the nearby cities of Tianjin and Zhuozhou.
Flooding in China
The severe strength of the rains and powerful flooding took Beijing officials off guard, as the region usually has dry summers. Many other areas of the Asian country, particularly in the south, have suffered unusually severe summer flooding that has killed scores of people.
The flood caused muddy water to flow through the streets and washed away vehicles in the Mentougou district, located on the capital's western edge. As per the Associated Press, a resident from the area, Liu Shuanbao, said that cars parked on the street floated and washed away by the flood.
They added that several cars parked behind their apartment building just disappeared in one minute. On Tuesday, emergency workers had to use bulldozers to clear the streets while people could be seen wading through mud.
Another Mentougou resident, Wu Changpo, said that neither officials nor ordinary people expected the rain to be so heavy. He noted that the weather caused many landslides and resulted in many villages being flooded.
Eleven deaths were reported in Beijing, and officials said they were searching for 27 missing others. Nine more deaths were reported in Hebei province, which surrounds the Chinese capital.
Heaviest Rain in the Last Decade
The two days of rain overwhelmed riverbeds around the western outskirts of Beijing, causing the once-calm waterways to become ferocious torrents. More than 127,000 people were forced to leave the city, according to CNN.
The recent storm is considered the deadliest to hit Beijing since 2012 when massive floods resulted in the deaths of 77 people, a toll that officials initially tried to keep a secret. The Asian nation faces typhoons and heavy rains during the summer months, but climate change has exacerbated the frequency and strength of annual rains.
In 2021, officials in Zhengzhou reported that at least 300 people died due to massive floods in the region. In the recent flooding, video footage showed one road bridge broken in half with a queue of cars on top while several other vehicles were swept below.
China's Emergency Management Ministry said they expect heavy rains to persist this week and noted that flooding could worsen in some parts of the country. Over the weekend, heavy rains were reported to have broken daily precipitation records at 14 different weather stations in Beijing and other regions.
Authorities have not yet announced an official death toll of the victims related to the flooding or reported the number of residents who have gone missing outside the capital city, said BBC.
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