Beijing had evacuated over 70,000 residents by Monday afternoon as authorities issued fresh warnings of intense rainfall, just a week after deadly floods left dozens dead in the city’s worst deluge since 2012.
Forecasters predicted up to 200mm (7.9 inches) of rain could fall in parts of the capital within six hours, an alarming figure for a city that typically sees about 600mm annually. The alert came as emergency teams rushed to strengthen flood barriers, improve forecasting systems, and refine evacuation procedures, following harrowing scenes of people being swept away in floodwaters, including three fatalities reported at a wellness camp in Hebei province.
From 23 to 29 July, at least 44 people died in Beijing, many caught off guard by sudden floods, particularly at a nursing home in the northeastern Miyun district. The incident prompted officials to acknowledge significant flaws in their emergency planning.
As of noon Monday, all 16 districts of Beijing had been placed on the highest state of emergency readiness- the first such declaration since 28 July. Authorities shut down sections of the Great Wall and other outdoor attractions, while also suspending operations of underground businesses due to the “extremely high” risk of flash floods and landslides.
By 2 p.m., nearly 14,000 of those evacuated were from the mountainous Mentougou district in western Beijing, according to state media.
In 2012, the city’s worst recorded flooding killed 79 people, especially affecting Fangshan district. Beijing’s geography, surrounded by mountains to the west and north, creates a natural “trap” for rain-bearing clouds, often intensifying rainfall levels.
Tragedy at wellness retreat
In Hebei province, just outside Beijing, torrential rains struck the 'Beijing Valley' wellness retreat in Chengde on 27 July, killing three people and leaving four unaccounted for, according to Xinhua. Around 40 people had gathered for an event on the site, reportedly camping on low-lying terrain near a river bend. By 2 a.m. the following day, floodwaters reached knee height, forcing a chaotic escape through the site’s only exit.
The disaster bore eerie resemblance to the recent tragedy at Camp Mystic in Texas, where 28 children died after flash floods overwhelmed a riverside camp.
Meanwhile, in China’s southern Guangdong province, five bodies were recovered over the weekend following a large-scale search involving more than 1,300 rescuers. The victims had gone missing Friday night during flash floods triggered by days of heavy rain, Xinhua reported.
U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington is not seeking an extension of its memorandum of understanding with...
Iran says it will use all diplomatic and legal channels to determine the fate of three Air Force pilots it believes are being held in Qatar after t...
Nearly a week after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia, hopes of finding more survivors are fading as rescue teams search ...
At least 11 people were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, among the deadliest since a June ceasefire. Meanwhile, Qatar denied holding Iranian pilots. It said it had found the remains of one pilot after an airspace violation and had contacted Iran to coordinate a handover.
U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington is not seeking an extension of its memorandum of understanding with Iran, claiming the U.S. already controls the Strait of Hormuz through its naval blockade.
A wildfire in Croatia driven by strong winds descended on the tourist town of Omis overnight, engulfing houses, forcing about 1,000 people to evacuate to safety and injuring dozens, fire brigade and health officials said on Friday.
South Korea's presidential Blue House said on Monday it was reviewing U.S. President Donald Trump's comments on scaling back joint military drills. It added that it hoped a favourable relationship between Washington and Pyongyang could lead to meaningful talks.
Residents of villages in eastern Indonesia hit by a deadly earthquake that killed at least 54 people were awaiting aid on Monday as rescuers prepared to comb through collapsed buildings in search of people trapped beneath the rubble.
A wildfire in Croatia driven by strong winds descended on the tourist town of Omis overnight, engulfing houses, forcing about 1,000 people to evacuate to safety and injuring dozens, fire brigade and health officials said on Friday.
Rhossi, a rare Kemp’s ridley sea turtle that washed up near death on a Welsh beach in 2023, has returned to Texas after more than two years of rehabilitation in the UK.
Glacier coverage in Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul Basin has shrunk by 33.7 per cent over the past 70–90 years, according to an updated glacier inventory by Kyrgyzhydromet. The agency says the pace of glacier retreat has accelerated sharply in recent years.
Extreme heat and historically low river levels are forcing nuclear power plants across Southeast Europe to reduce production, increasing pressure on already stretched electricity supplies and prompting governments to call for lower consumption.
Flash floods in Gansu Province in China's northwest last week killed 25 people and injured 23 more, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday, raising earlier death tolls.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment