The death toll in northern China due to heavy rains and floods rose to at least 30 after storm Doksuri, a former super typhoon, slammed the capital Beijing and surrounding regions. This comes after 10 people were killed due to floods in a city near Beijing, officials said Saturday (August 5). Millions of people have been evacuated while officials, in parts of China, continue to struggle to deal with the aftermath of one of the strongest storms in years.
At least 10 people were killed in Baoding, reported local officials in the town which is about 150 kilometres away from the capital adding that 18 people were missing. Since Doksuri, a former super typhoon, hit mainland China last Friday, it has led to the most severe rains in the region since records began 140 years ago.
As of Saturday, torrential rains continue to batter northeast China and provinces bordering Russia and North Korea. Some cities were in the midst of an ongoing clean-up operation after the overwhelming rainfall which destroyed infrastructure and flooded entire districts.
On Friday, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management reported that natural disasters caused 147 deaths or disappearances due to heavy rains and floods. Additionally, 142 of the deaths or disappearances recorded in July were caused by flooding or geological disasters.
The remaining five deaths or disappearances were due to other natural disasters such as drought, it added. The report also noted the collapse and destruction of more than 2,300 houses has caused direct economic losses amounted to $2.2 billion (15.8 billion yuan).
‘Red alert’ remains in Beijing, millions evacuated
A “red alert” which was issued last week, remained in force in Beijing due to “geological risks” such as landslides linked to the bad weather. Meanwhile, around 1.54 million people had been evacuated, on Saturday morning, from at-risk areas in north China’s Hebei province, on Saturday morning, reported Xinhua.
According to state media reports, at least 15,000 residents were moved out of the city of Shulan, where one death and four people were reported missing. Images and videos from Shulan showed collapsed bridges and damaged roads across the city.
Officials, on Saturday, also warned about sinkholes and mudslides in the Fangshan and Mentougou outer districts of the capital. While an official also told the state media that floodwaters in Hebei could take up to a month to recede.
Around 100,000 people were evacuated from Zhuozhou to the southwest of Beijing which is a sixth of its population. In Baoding prefecture, which also includes Zhuozhou, officials have reported the collapse of more than 4,000 houses and damage to nearly 300 bridges with direct economic losses reaching nearly $2.4 billion (17 billion yuan) as of Saturday.
Climate change and extreme weather events in China
Notably, China also recorded its highest temperature of more than 52 degrees Celsius just last month with millions being affected by extreme weather events across the country.
“China has suffered unprecedented extreme heatwaves since last year…This year, there are record-breaking high temperatures in Northern China,” Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based NGO the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs told AFP.
He added, “These heatwaves are linked to global warming, and this is what most climate scientists around the world tend to agree.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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