Thirty dead in Beijing following torrential rains, Xinhua reports

Extreme weather has killed at least 30 people in Beijing after several days of rainfall equaled the city’s average annual total, overwhelming disaster response systems and leading some experts to describe the capital as a 'rain trap.'

Authorities in Miyun, a mountainous area in northeastern Beijing, are racing to repair damaged roads and riverbanks following deadly floods triggered by intense rainfall.

As of midnight Monday, 30 people have died across Beijing, 28 of them in Miyun, according to the city’s flood control headquarters.

The town of Bulaotun in Miyun, about 120 kilometers from central Beijing, was heavily affected.

Heavy rains caused a local river to overflow, washing out parts of Miyun’s Highway 234 and hindering rescue efforts.

"The cumulative amount of precipitation has been extremely high - reaching 80–90% of the annual total in just a few days in some areas," said Xuebin Zhang of the University of Victoria in Canada. 

More than 50 repair workers from local highway teams were deployed to restore the road. After nonstop work on Sunday, crews laid gabions to stabilize 20–30 meters of the highway. 

By Monday evening, workers had filled the eastern riverbank gap with nearly 10,000 cubic meters of gravel and rock after 40 hours of work. The damaged highway is expected to reopen by Tuesday night, depending on weather.

Meanwhile, rising water levels in the Chaohe River have weakened nearby embankments. In response, more than 200 armed police officers and 60 pieces of heavy machinery were deployed to reinforce the area. 

"The flood is still coming, and there is still no power or signal, and I still can't get in touch with my family!" a post on Tuesday morning said.

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