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Heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in Beijing, resulting in the deaths of at least 30 people and displacing over 80,000 residents. Floodwaters have inundated roads, villages, and suburban areas, with emergency teams tirelessly working to rescue those trapped by waist-deep waters. The hardest-hit neighborhoods include Miyun and Fangshan, where many families have lost everything within hours.
This week, intense storms have impacted northern China, including Beijing and the neighboring provinces of Hebei, Jilin, and Shandong. According to authorities, as of late Monday, the latest heavy rain events have caused significant destruction in Beijing, with authorities reporting the fatalities and mass evacuations via social media. Over 80,000 residents have been relocated within the capital city, and widespread disruptions such as road closures and power outages have affected more than 130 villages.
In Miyun, a suburb northeast of the city center, residents witnessed floodwaters sweeping away vehicles early Monday. Rescuers used a crawler to save people and even a dog from the rising waters. Nearby in Mujiayu, footage showed a reservoir releasing a torrent of water, washing away power lines and flooding streets where military vehicles and ambulances navigated the chaos. First responders also rescued 48 people from an senior care facility.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on authorities to prepare for the worst and expedite the evacuation of residents in flood-prone zones. In Hebei, which surrounds Beijing, a landslide near Chengde claimed four lives, with eight people still missing. Natural disasters are common during China’s summer months, driven by varying regional weather patterns, from heavy rains to extreme heat.
Despite being the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases—contributing to climate change and intensifying such weather events—China is also investing heavily in renewable energy initiatives, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2060. Recent months have seen flash floods in Shandong kill two and cause ten to go missing, while a landslide in Sichuan resulted in five fatalities after several cars were swept off a highway.
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