Beijing, July 29
At least 38 people were killed as torrential rain wreaked havoc across China, forcing evacuations and disrupting traffic.
Of the 38, Beijing recorded 30 deaths, while eight were killed in Hebei province due to a landslide triggered by heavy rain.
The rainstorm alert in the Chinese capital was cancelled on Tuesday as the rainbands weakened and shifted eastward, although showers were still forecast for the afternoon and evening.
The city remains at its highest level of flood-control emergency response.
In Mentougou District, 15,195 people had been evacuated as of 8 a.m. Tuesday, and all 19 major tourist sites had been closed. In Pinggu District, more than 12,800 people have been relocated, with 40 emergency shelters set up in gyms, schools, hotels and village offices. A total of 34 teams involving 1,073 personnel have been deployed for flood response in Pinggu, news agency reported.
Authorities confirmed that 30 people had died in Beijing as of midnight Monday, including 28 in Miyun District and two in Yanqing. In Hebei province, a rain-triggered landslide in Luanping County has killed eight people, with four others still missing.
Officials said that all residents of the affected village will be relocated as a safety precaution.
In neighbouring Tianjin Municipality, more than 10,500 people had been evacuated from Jizhou District after floodwaters entered 13 villages along the Juhe River as of Monday night.
"The floodwaters swept right past my doorstep, and even our tricycle was carried away," said a 63-year-old evacuee surnamed Wei.
Du Hanyong, principal of a middle school serving as a temporary shelter in Jizhou, said the facility is stocked with sufficient food, water and essentials, and the cafeteria is ready to operate if needed.
The downpours have also disrupted rail services. Railway authorities on Tuesday temporarily suspended some trains on the Beijing-Harbin high-speed railway, and multiple trains on a railway linking Beijing with Baotou, a city in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, have been suspended or rerouted