Beijing, Aug 9 (EFE).- Last week’s torrential rains that struck parts of China have led to a death toll of at least 33 people in Beijing, according to official media reports on Wednesday.
Rescuers perform drainage operation in Zhuozhou, north China’s Hebei Province, 07 August 2023. EFE-EPA/XINHUA/Mou Yu CHINA OUT/MANDATORY CREDIT EDITORIAL USE ONLY
The Beijing Daily said that as of Aug.8, 18 people, including an emergency rescue worker, remain missing in the Chinese capital after Typhoon Doksuri battered northern China.
Rescuers perform drainage operation in Linjiatun Township of Zhuozhou, north China’s Hebei Province, 07 August 2023. EFE-EPA/XINHUA/Mou Yu CHINA OUT/MANDATORY CREDIT EDITORIAL USE ONLY
The unprecedented rainfall caused widespread devastation, primarily through flooding, in several cities.
The catastrophe affected nearly 1.29 million people, resulting in the collapse of 59,000 houses, with an additional 147,000 residential structures being severely damaged.
Vice Mayor Xia Linmao was quoted by the daily stating that these figures were preliminary and the extent of property losses was still under calculation.
“Thirty-three people have lost their lives in the city due to the disaster, primarily caused by flooding and house collapses,” Xia stated, noting that five of the deceased were emergency rescue workers.
Rescue and recovery efforts have been intensified in Beijing and the neighboring Hebei province, where heavy rainfall has isolated numerous areas from the outside world.
State media has repeatedly emphasized that the government is diligently working to reinstate normalcy in the affected regions.
Media reports indicate that the government has dispatched resources and personnel to assist evacuees. Teams have been mobilized for road repairs, power restoration, water drainage, and mud clean-up after the floods.
In response to the crisis, the central government allocated 732 million yuan (approximately $101.4 million) to nine provincial-level regions in China for immediate agricultural flood control and disaster relief.
Typhoon Doksuri triggered intense rainfall in Beijing and the country’s northern regions, causing significant damage to infrastructure and necessitating the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents.
The heavy downpours induced landslides and caused rivers to overflow, sweeping away roads, vehicles, and homes.
This storm marked the heaviest rainfall in Beijing in 140 years.
The summers of 2021 and 2022 were similarly plagued by unprecedented rains, leading to over 300 fatalities in central China. EFE
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