11 Dead Due to Rains, Flood Warnings Still in Effect

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11 have died as of 6am this morning (Aug 1) following days of heavy rain and flooding across Beijing, according to the most recent reports from Beijing Daily.

In spite of the city downgrading its rainstorm warning from red to yellow alert this morning, flash flood warnings are still in place for mountainous areas and low-lying areas of the city prone to water accumulation. Warnings are also still in effect for geological disasters and other issues caused by the rains, an earlier Beijing Daily report stated.

Videos like the one above showing flooding near Shougang Park yesterday are all over Chinese social media

Precipitation in Beijing was concentrated in the northeast of the city this morning, with rainfall expected to mainly affect Huairou, Miyun, and Pinggu districts. Mean amount of precipitation in these areas is about 5-10mm, with local rainfall expected to reach a maximum of 20-30mm.

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The rains brought flooding to areas around Beijing, with Fangshan and Mentougou especially affected by flash floods. Contact has also been lost with 27 people. Beijing Daily also reports the Fengtai and Shacheng railways were damaged by water, stranding two trains – K396 traveling from Wuhai and Z180 from Urumqi – en route to Beijing. All passengers have since been evacuated and brought to safety.

Another train, K1178 from Yinchuan, was stopped at a station traveling along a river route. According to Beijing Daily, all passengers remained on the train, with planning underway to provide supplies like drinking water and food to those stranded.

Footage of flooding spread across WeChat and other social media as well, with traffic halted across the city and even Daxing International Airport experiencing flooding yesterday, leading to canceled flights (see video above).

Although things seem to have dissipated for now, rain and thunderstorms have been forecast for the week ahead by the city’s meteorological authority. While it was at first thought more heavy rains would be brought on by the expected landfall of Typhoon Kahnun, the current path of the storm is uncertain after it veered back towards the East China Sea this morning, according to China Weather.

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Images & videos: Unsplash, Beijing Daily, 都视频原创, 根正苗红正能量

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