Heavy rainfall and flooding have left at least 30 people dead in Beijing, with more fatalities reported across neighboring regions as severe storms continue to strike northern China. City officials said most of the deaths occurred in the capital’s Miyun district, an area northeast of the urban center, while additional casualties were confirmed in Yanqing, another outlying district.
In Hebei province, which borders Beijing, authorities reported at least four more fatalities and eight people missing following a landslide in a remote area of Luanping County. Efforts to reach the affected communities have been hampered by widespread disruptions to power and communications.
Since the storms began, more than 80,000 people have been evacuated from flood-prone areas in Beijing alone. Nearly 17,000 of those evacuations took place in Miyun, where rainfall has been particularly intense. Two towns in the district recorded over 54 centimeters of precipitation, far surpassing the citywide average of 16 centimeters.
Officials reported significant infrastructure damage. Power outages affected more than 130 villages, and at least 30 roads were damaged or submerged. Downed power lines and washed-out vehicles were visible in multiple towns, along with piles of uprooted trees and buildings coated in thick mud.
In Taishitun, a town roughly 100 kilometers northeast of downtown Beijing, residents began clearing debris from homes and businesses. Streets remained flooded, and the water had left stains several feet up the walls of buildings.
To prevent further flooding, authorities in Miyun released water from a reservoir that had reached its highest level since its construction in 1959. Residents downstream were warned to stay clear of riverbanks due to the elevated water levels and additional rain expected in the coming days.
The Chinese government has ordered emergency services to intensify rescue and recovery operations. President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang called for “all-out” efforts to minimize casualties and protect infrastructure. State media reported that Li acknowledged the “serious” impact of the flooding and urged coordination among local authorities and rescue teams.
Beijing’s weather bureau lifted the city’s rainstorm alert late Tuesday afternoon, but meteorologists cautioned that additional rainfall could still worsen conditions, especially in low-lying areas. In response, emergency personnel continued to monitor river levels and reinforce embankments in areas at risk of flash floods.
China experiences seasonal flooding each summer, but recent years have seen increasingly destructive storms. Urban expansion and aging drainage systems have made some areas more vulnerable to extreme weather, prompting concerns about the country’s ability to respond to future disasters of this scale.
