Devastating floods have ravaged Beijing and Hebei province, claiming over 30 lives and displacing tens of thousands as record-breaking rainfall batters northern China.

In Beijing’s Miyun district, 28 people perished, while two deaths were reported in Yanqing district. In Hebei, a landslide killed four, with eight others missing as of Monday night. The torrential downpour, which began over the weekend and worsened on Monday, brought up to 543.4 millimeters of rain in some areas, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The floods triggered mass evacuations, with 80,322 residents relocated in Beijing alone. Floodwaters submerged major roads, disrupted communications, and caused power outages in 136 villages. Vehicles were swept away, trees uprooted, and buildings caked in mud, particularly in Taishitun town, 100 kilometers northeast of Beijing’s center.

President Xi Jinping urged “all-out” rescue efforts, while Premier Li Qiang acknowledged “significant losses” in Miyun and pledged robust disaster response. Beijing issued a top-level weather alert, closing schools, halting construction, and suspending outdoor tourism. Authorities also released over 730 million cubic meters of water from the Miyun Reservoir, northern China’s largest, which hit its highest level since 1959. Downstream residents were warned to avoid riverbanks.

The central government allocated 50 million yuan ($7 million) in relief funds to Hebei and deployed a high-level emergency team to support rescue operations. With meteorologists forecasting up to 30 centimeters of additional rain early Tuesday, fears of further flooding and landslides loom large.

The disaster highlights northern China’s growing vulnerability to extreme weather, which experts say is increasing in frequency and intensity. (ILKHA)