At least two dead in floods in Beijing

At least two people died on Monday in the Chinese capital Beijing, placed on maximum alert for floods and landslides, due to torrential rains which have been falling on the region since Friday.

Rescue services found two bodies in waterways in Beijing’s Mentougou district, according to the People’s Daily (state media).

Much of Beijing’s suburbs “are at high risk of cave-ins, landslides and mudslides,” according to the authorities’ alert.

These heavy rains are a consequence of Cyclone Doksuri, which killed at least six people in the Philippines.

According to the capital’s weather service, 170.9 millimeters of water fell on Beijing in 40 hours between Saturday evening and Monday noon. That is almost the average rainfall for the whole month of July.

Beijing has been very cautious about heavy rainfall since 2021, when severe flooding in the center of the country killed more than 300 people, mostly in the major city of Zhengzhou.