Floods wreak havoc in northern Beijing, 30 dead, several injured
In the valleys of Miyun, torrential rains turned quiet streets into rivers. Locals turned heroes rescuing neighbors by boat and bulldozer. With over 30 lives lost and thousands displaced, northern Beijing now teckles nature's fury, echoing a deepening crisis of climate and vulnerability.
In the mountainous outskirts of Beijing, relentless rains pounded the region, transforming calm streets into gushing rivers. What began as heavy showers soon turned into one of the most devastating natural calamities northern China has seen in years.
Miyun, a district nestled northeast of the capital and home to over half a million people, bore the brunt of the storm. In a matter of hours, floodwaters surged through towns, sweeping away cars, snapping electricity poles, and forcing people to flee their homes. At least 30 lives were lost-28 in Miyun and 2 in nearby Yanqing, a CNN report said.
More than 80,000 people had to be relocated, with 17,000 of them from Miyun alone. In the chaos, stories of courage emerged. A man in Miyun used his boat to rescue 17 people, while another man, armed with just an excavator, saved over 80 stranded residents.
Residents took to social media to express their fear and heartbreak. One woman described devastation due to floodwater that burst through her town, uprooting trees and dragging vehicles with its flow. "The place I grew up in was destroyed overnight,” she wrote.
With over 100 rural villages cut off from electricity and communication, emergency teams struggled to reach affected areas. Beijing’s meteorological authorities issued the flood and rainstorm red alerts, urging people to avoid venturing near rivers and vulnerable zones.
As a precautionary measure, schools and tourist spots were shut down, and floodgates were opened at reservoirs to divert rainwater.
The crisis extended beyond Beijing. In Hebei, landslides killed four and left several missing. In Shanxi, a bus vanished in floodwaters. And in Shandong, overnight floods destroyed homes and claimed several lives.
President Xi Jinping called for all-out rescue efforts, while condolences poured in from across the globe, including from the newly appointed US ambassador to China.
(Curated by Niswarth)