Intense storms in Beijing leave 44 dead and nine missing

Published at: 31/07/2025 08:54 PM

Authorities in Beijing, the capital of China, reported 44 deaths and nine missing after the intense storms that hit the Chinese capital between July 23 and 29, they reported at a press conference held on Thursday, the Telesur website reported.

The Deputy Executive Mayor of Beijing, Xia Linmao, reported that 31 of the victims resided in a care center for the elderly in Taishitun, Miyun district. Among the missing are four secretaries of the Village Party who participated in relief efforts.

Torrential rains affected more than 300,000 residents and damaged some 24,000 homes, with the greatest impact on mountainous areas in the districts of Miyun, Huairou, Yanqing and Pinggu.

Flash floods, compounded by upstream flooding, damaged infrastructure in 40 municipalities and 312 administrative villages.

Linmao highlighted that the Miyun reservoir, the largest in the city, received 910 million cubic meters of water in seven days, 30% more than the 1974 record, although its level dropped to 155.38 meters, remaining in safe conditions.

In response to the red flood alert, authorities activated a level one emergency response on Saturday, evacuating 104,000 people.

Wu Zhenkun, head of the Fire and Rescue Brigade, said that 6,830 personnel, 1,356 vehicles and 296 boats were deployed, rescuing 1,879 people and evacuating 3,521.

The teams used drones, heavy machinery, boats and ropes for operations, delivering 56 tons of emergency supplies.

As of this Thursday, 364 out of 424 rural roads have been cleared, and emergency water supplies have been restored to all affected villages. Electricity returned to 105 of the 213 villages with outages.

Linmao stated that the Government prioritizes housing repair, psychological support for the families of the victims and the restoration of roads, water, electricity and communications to guarantee the living conditions of those affected.

Mazo News Team