Deadly Floods in Beijing and Hebei Leave Over 30 Dead, Tens of Thousands Evacuated

Severe flooding triggered by intense rainfall has claimed the lives of more than 30 people in Beijing and surrounding regions, according to Chinese state media. Authorities have evacuated over 80,000 residents from the capital as torrents of rain -reaching up to 543 millimeters in northern districts - caused widespread damage.
The worst-hit area was Beijing’s Miyun district, where 28 fatalities were reported. An additional two deaths occurred in Yanqing, another outlying part of the city. In the neighboring province of Hebei, a landslide killed four people, while eight remain missing.

The storm intensified on Monday, with Beijing issuing its highest-level alerts for both rain and flooding. Public safety measures included shutting down schools, halting construction projects, and suspending outdoor tourism.
Infrastructure in several districts was severely impacted. More than 130 villages lost power, and roads and communication lines were damaged. As a precaution, officials released water from the Miyun Reservoir-northern China’s largest-as water levels surged to their highest since its construction in 1959. Over 730 million cubic meters of water had entered the reservoir by Tuesday morning.

Floodwaters swept away vehicles and power poles in Miyun, and towns like Taishitun, around 100 kilometers northeast of central Beijing, were left covered in mud and debris. “The flood came so suddenly-there was no time,” said Zhuang Zhelin, a local resident clearing his family’s shop.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered an all-out rescue effort to reduce casualties, while Premier Li Qiang acknowledged the significant loss of life in Miyun. The central government has dispatched emergency teams to affected areas and allocated 50 million yuan (about $7 million) in relief funds to Hebei province.
The disaster echoes similar extreme floods in 2023, which also caused major displacement and fatalities, especially in Hebei. Critics at the time accused officials of diverting floodwaters to protect Beijing at the expense of surrounding areas.
Experts warn that climate change, driven by human activity, is intensifying extreme weather events worldwide. Scientists say many recent disasters, including floods, wildfires, and heatwaves, would likely not have occurred without the impact of global warming.
 Source: The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Washington Post