More Than 30 Die as Beijing Nursing Home Floods in Deadly Storms

In a tragic turn during Beijing’s worst flooding in years, at least 31 elderly residents were killed at the Taishitun Town Elderly Care Centre in Miyun District. The nursing home, which housed 69 residents, 55 of whom had disabilities, was overwhelmed when floodwaters surged rapidly on Monday, with nearly two meters of water engulfing the facility. At the time, there were 77 people in the building, including staff, of whom only 48 were rescued immediately.
The torrential rains that struck northern China dumped nearly a year’s worth of rainfall over a few days, with Miyun receiving up to 570 mm, exacerbated by the region’s mountainous terrain that trapped moisture. Shrinking emergency readiness meant the facility wasn’t included in evacuation plans, leaving residents unprepared.
Miyun Party Secretary Yu Weiguo issued a rare and tearful public apology, calling the incident a bitter lesson with gaps in contingency planning, preparation, and infrastructure. He said officials had wrongly assumed the nursing home’s location was safe indefinitely.
Across Beijing, the overall death toll from the storms stands at 44, with neighboring Hebei province reporting 16 more deaths and Shanxi province at least 10, many due to landslides or flood-related accidents. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been affected: over 80,000 relocated, at least 300,000 impacted, and significant damage to homes, roads, and bridges.
Climate experts warn that such extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent and severe. The floods highlight gaps in China’s disaster response particularly in vulnerable rural districts prompting authorities to vow reforms in preparedness and public safety.

Sources:
Reuters , AP News , The Guardian