'Worst' Flood In Beijing Kills At Least 20; Officials Expect Death Toll To Rise

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The torrential rains and deadly floods in China have claimed the lives of at least 20 individuals.

According to a report posted on South China Morning Post, 11 fatalities were reported in Beijing while nine others were recorded in the nearby province of Hebei.

At present, there are also 27 people missing due to the bad weather brought by Tropical Storm Doksuri. The missing persons include 13 from Mentougou, 10 in Changping, and four in Fangshan.

In Beijing, Doksuri made records as it brought the heaviest rainfall in the country's capital in more than 70 years. Due to this, authorities are still expecting the number of fatalities to increase. 

The Beijing Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters disclosed that those who were killed amid the bad weather include four fatalities in Mentougou district, another four in Changping, two in Fangshan and one in Haidian district.

Read Also: China Flooding Season: Flash-Flood Warning Raised as 4 Rivers Exceed Dangerous Levels

Thousands affected

More than 127,000 individuals have been evacuated from Beijing due to the onslaught of Doksuri, a CNN report indicated. Further, at least 847,400 people were also forced to evacuate in Hebei province.

This recent storm is being considered as the deadliest to hit the capital since 2012 wherein deadly floods claimed the lives of 77 individuals.

Weather experts said that Doksuri was one of the strongest typhoons that hit and brought damage to China in recent years. This typhoon made landfall in the southeastern coastal province of Fujian wherein more than 2.6 million people have been affected as per records of authorities there.

They said the typhoon had weakened into a storm as it goes towards the north. Despite its weakening, Doksuri still brought massive amounts of rainfall in various areas.

Aside from the forced evacuations to ensure the safety of residents, more than 300 people were also stranded in a certain residential building located in Zhuozhuo, which is in Hebei province.

Meanwhile, there were also hundreds of train passengers who have been stranded in the outskirts of the China capital. There were also passengers who got stuck in vehicles for more than 30 hours without food.

A CGTN report said that Beijing recorded an average precipitation of 257.9 millimeters, with the urban area averaging 235.1 millimeters.

On the other hand, Mentougou and Fangshan recorded an average precipitation that reached 470.2 millimeters and 414.6 millimeters, respectively.

Response

Chinese President Xi Jinping already ordered for an improved search and rescue efforts to help the victims, the CNN said.

Xi said the affected people should be properly resettled to a safe area and the damaged infrastructures must be repaired immediately to restore the normal production and living order.

Citing CCTV, the South China Morning Post disclosed that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) land forces already sent four helicopters to provide food, raincoats, and even blankets to those victims who were stranded on trapped trains.

These air assets were also used to transfer wounded individuals.

Further, personnel from the Chinese Army also went to a secondary school in Mentougou to evacuate people who have been stranded and trapped there.

Authorities said that the mountainous and mainly rural western district was most affected by the storm.

Related Article: Flash Flood in Western China Left at Least 16 People Dead

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